The Legend of X
by legendofX
Summary: An AU of the Mega man X universe. In this Universe, X is born in a world filled with the threat of constant disaster and must defend it from those who would threaten it.
1. Birthing pains

Birthing Pains

A Rockman X short story

By Thomas Atwood

Part 1 of the Gathering cycle

_What is it we think of when we're first born? Is it fear at the thought of being torn from the home we've had for so long? Is it rage at being torn from the side of the place we've spent so much of our time forming? Or do we realize what is happening, and perhaps feel the greatest emotion of all: Hope._

Celestial wanderings - chapter 1 verse 12

"BP is 110 over 70."

"That's still too low for emergence, push 20 ccs of Ep."

"Pre-emergence, are you certain?"

"Positive."

A slight pinch filled the young man's world, and his eye's slowly opened. Hazy vision revealed an old man staring at him intently, and beside him a young girl with shining blonde hair gazed at him, amazed. "Remarkable." She whispered.

"Alia, keep your mind on your work." The old man scolded. "Detach all support cables and begin venting of the suspension fluid." The woman nodded, and typed in hidden commands on the console in front of her. Sharp pain filled every inch of the young man's body, and he turned, seeing massive needles being yanked violently from his body. The breathing mask that hung in front of his face slowly raised, and the strange green liquid that surrounded him quickly left the small canister. He tumbled clumsily on the floor, and suddenly started choking. Large quantities of the strange green liquid flew from his mouth, and he stood weakly. "Where… where am I?" The man looked up taking in his surroundings. An old man examined him eagerly; snow white hair slicked neatly back and a long white beard stretching down his chin. It was the woman who caught the man's attention though. She stood at about medium height, and emerald green eyes peaked beneath a short baseball cap. Blonde hair peeked from underneath the cap, and shone like gold in the soft lab lighting. She was dressed modestly in a simple black shirt and jeans, but the clothes seemed to cling to her, revealing an ample frame. She smiled in anticipation, and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"You're in Light Labs." Alia said, eagerly inspecting him. The young man glanced at her, and she turned away, blushing. "My name is Alia, and this is Dr. Light. We created you."

"I see." The young man walked forward, and pushed against the glass door. The glass instantly shattered against the pressure, forcing Alia and Dr. Light to leap back.

Alia laughed. "You may want to be careful; you're kind of…well, strong."

"I am aware. Full information about who you and your companion was included in my prebirth information." The man stepped out, surveying his surroundings. He frowned as he looked over X and Alia. "I require clothes." He said simply

Alia laughed and handed him a green sweater and jeans. "How's this?"

"It will suffice" X said, touring the small room. "Fascinating. We are in a Class 3 research facility geared for the construction of weaponry and Reploid creation." He walked around and took in the surroundings eagerly. He sat down in front of a computer and his hands flew over it, typing in commands. A second later his image appeared followed by a small profile. "So my name has been designated as Xavier Light?"

"Yes. We have a list of codenames available for you." Alia laughed. "We actually had some fun picking them out. Let's see, we have Genesis, Phoenix…" She trailed off, noting the displeasure on the man's face. "None of that appeals to you, I take it."

"Whatever you deem necessary, but none of those seem sufficient." He stared at the blank code name field, lost in thought. Finally, he smiled. "X will be sufficient."

"X it is." Alia said.

"So what is my unit assignment, I am eager to work." X asked

"We haven't assigned you to a unit yet, we need to train you and assess your skills. How much of your prebirth training do you remember?"

"I was created as a new form of reploid, designed to seek out and eradicate maverick threats, particularly the one known as Zero."

"Correct."

"Why is this Zero considered such a substantial threat?"

"That's something we'll get into later."

"As you wish." X replied. "Now, I need to further study your culture in order to properly prepare myself against potential threats." He bowed slightly and walked offAlia sighed, quickly gathering her papers. "So what's the verdict on the new guy?" A voice replied from the doorway. A short brown hair woman with blonde hair stood at the door way, a small brown cat sitting contently on her shoulder. She wore a simple black school uniform, and a red bow sat in her hair brightly. The cat stretched and pawed with the ribbon anxiously.

Alia shook her head. "Hi Roll."

Roll nodded. "Well, what's he like?"

"He's, um... he's hot," Alia replied.

Roll laughed. "Is that your professional opinion?"

"I don't have enough information to make a professional opinion. He managed to emerge without being psychotic, which puts him ahead of the first three experiments."

"Well, that's good. If we had to track down another person running down the halls, screaming about how the pies were trying to eat his brain, I'd have to retire."

Alia laughed. "It could be worse."

"No, it couldn't. So tell me, what's he like?"

"Honestly? He seems young."

"He's literally 30 minutes old, Alia."

"I know, but it's still disturbing to be around a person where every time he looks at you it seems like he's sizing you up for a coffin."

"Creepy." Roll agreed. "You sure this one's going to be sane?"

Alia laughed. "That depends; do you have a magic eight ball?" Roll laughed, and Alia shrugged. "He seems suitable. The man shattered 5 inches of military grade glass by barely touching it. If he's half as skilled as he is strong, we're in business." Alia sighed and looked at her watch. "I've got work to do. Have you seen where X went?"

"X? Is that the name the new guy picked?" Alia nodded and Roll laughed. "He went towards the living room, why?"

"I need to run a few psychological tests on him." Alia walked into the cramped living room to find X staring mesmerized in front of the TV. She looked over his shoulder, curious, and saw a costumed man jumping quickly from building to building. She laughed and sat down. "What are you watching?"

"I am trying to understand your culture." X replied, staring puzzled at the TV. "This show, it doesn't make any sense."

"You're trying to understand our culture by watching Batman?" Alia replied laughing. Noting X's serious look, she sighed. "What doesn't make sense?"

"This man's parents are killed, and he becomes some costumed vigilante." X replied, frowning. "Why does he not simply kill the man who murdered them?"

"Because this show's about justice, not just revenge."

X looked at Alia, confused. "A man killed a family; he deserves to die for his crimes."

"It's up to the courts to determine what happens to a criminal."

"Perhaps." X replied. "But I was created to kill these threats, It is my purpose."

Alia laughed. "X, you're more then a robot."

"I am aware. Robots are a completely synthetic creation, I am biologically based."

Alia rubbed the bridge of her nose, frustrated. "That's…that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean…look, is there anything you want to do with your life?"

X stared at her, confused. "I'm confused, I'm going to serve the Hunters, that's what I want to do with my life."

"Yeah, but why?"

"Why what?"

"Ok, every person who joins the Hunters has a story behind it. Some defining moment that made them decide to be a Hunter. Most of them did it to help people; some did it for the money. I even know of a guy down in South Beach who joined as part of a dare. So why do you want to be a Hunter."

X paused, a look of concern growing on his face. "I was born to be one." He said finally.

"But is it what you want?" X looked over at the TV, staring at it wordlessly. Alia stood up and walked for the door, noting with concern the look on X's face. She turned to leave, and heard a quiet whisper emerge from X. "What's that?" She said, turning around.

"I don't know." X said quietly.

Alia smiled. "You'll find out, trust me."

X leaned back and relaxed against his bed, thinking about the things Alia said. Night fell, throwing a dark blanket over the room. X continued his silent brooding, staring intently at the mirror in front of him. Rain played a soft melody on the window, and a crash of lightning exploded in the distance, illuminating the room in a gentle silver light. X leapt back in surprise, and saw his own reflection staring back at him. An ugly sneer decorated the mirror's reflection, and an ugly brown scar crawled down his face, going from his eyebrows to chin, separating the gap between his eyes. X stepped backwards in shock, and the image returned to normal. X walked forward, inspecting the mirror and a voice chuckled behind him. An old man leaned back in a chair facing X, slowly lighting a cigarette. White hair peeked out behind a simple black fedora, and wrinkles lined a gentle face peering at X with curiosity. Blue eyes peeked beneath the fedora, shining with excitement. He stood, and walked over to X, a strong, regal pace covering the distance between the two. He was short; barely taller then X's shoulders, but he radiated an air of power and control with every movement he made. "It's amazing what mirrors show us." He said simply, an air of authority ringing from his voice. "But it's more amazing how afraid we can be of them."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Gabriel, my dear boy."

"What are you doing here?"

"There's a very long answer for that, and the bulk of it you wouldn't understand. Not yet. Suffice it to say, I'm here as a guide. Now if memory serves, you wanted to know what it is that you want out of life."

"How did you know that?"

"Who, what, how, can you do nothing but ask questions?" Gabriel said, frustrated. "Isn't it important enough that I know, and am here to help you?"

"You're here to help?" X said confused.

"Exactly. You see, I'm something of a guide. I take people of note, such as yourself, and show them what them what they need to see. Now you, I've had my eye on you since before you were born. The more you developed; the more I realized that I should have a hand in your development."

"Why would you want to have a hand in the development of a Hunter soldier?"

Gabriel sat down, and stared at X intently. "Is that what you think you are?"

"That's what I was designed to be."

Gabriel sighed. "I see we have a lot of work to do." The room span and suddenly reformed into a bustling city street. Massive buildings seemed to grow out of the ground, stretching eagerly towards the sky. Dirt seemed to cover every inch of the area and dozens of men and women sat by the side of the buildings, a heartbreaking look plastered on their face. As a man or woman passed in front of them the waved a cup eagerly, desperately trying to get the attention of the passerby. A swift wind suddenly blew the fedora from Gabriel's head and off into the night sky. Gabriel stared in annoyance as the hat flew away. "Great, I've had that hat since the 20's." He chased after the article of clothing for a few blocks and finally stopped. "You'll be back!" He shouted at the hat as it flew away. "You always come back!"

He looked around, trying to understand everything he saw. "Where are we?"

"Los Angeles. The City of Angels." Gabriel said sarcastically. "Whoever gave that name should be shot. The reason we're here, to avoid your tedious questions, is so that I can show you what you need to learn. You see, millions of people live in cities just like this, all cluttering together for protection, companionship…" They passed by a small group of people clustered around a small metal canister, a small fire peeking from out of it. "Some people gather simply for warmth." Gabriel said sadly.

"This doesn't look like a good place to live." X said, taking his jacket off and offering it to a small woman near the fire. She looked up at him and smiled, wordless giving her thanks. "Why do people live like this?"

"They don't have a choice, I'm afraid. There are hundreds of cities just like this one all around the world. Each one of them is filled with thousands of people just like this. Penniless, homeless, terrified, and robbed of all hope by some punk with a gun. I wish I could tell you it's getting better, but every day the situation only gets worse."

"Who's responsible for this?"

"That's the million dollar question I'm afraid. Most people blame the Mavericks, and in truth they are a large part of the problem. Do you know who the Mavericks are?"

"Terrorists." X said quickly. "A group of insurgents who are trying to destroy everything in favor of their own petty world."

"That's a half truth that many in your organization have fully embraced. Come on, I have something to show you."

They walked wordlessly down the city streets, and saw of trio of men savagely beating a young woman. Pink spots lined downward from her forehead, and she crawled into a ball defensively, sobbing. "Filthy creature!" The man spat.

"I didn't do anything!" The woman said, pleadingly. "Please, I didn't do anything to you."

"All of you freaks are the same, your stink pollutes everything you touch." The man said. "I'm doing everyone a favor taking you out. You won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"I didn't hurt anyone." The woman said weakly. The gathered crowd backed away from the woman, revealing massive bruises and cuts scattered across her face. Blood pooled from her mouth and she coughed, causing a dozen teeth to fall to the street. Her clothes lie in tatters around her and she held her arms around her chest in a desperate attempt at modesty. She tried to take a step forwards, but a sickening crack echoed in the small alleyway, and blood poured like a fountain from her leg. "Please…" She begged, looking at the man, desperation pouring from her voice. "Don't do this!"

X moved forward to save the woman, but Gabriel put a hand across his chest. "They can't see us. This is very important for all future lessons, X. You must watch." He whispered, a single tear running down his cheek. "Watch, and never forget."

The men continued to beat the woman, brutal kicks and punches sending horrific sounds into the night sky. Bones broke under the constant assault, and one of the men brandished a knife, savagely tearing away at the woman's clothes. She cowered in the corner, tears streaming down her face. "Please…anything but this…" She begged, desperate to cover herself.

The nearest man spat. "Please, we wouldn't rape a beast like you. We just wanted you to realize the animal you were, and animals don't wear clothes." An ugly and savage grin covered the man's face, and he pulled a pistol from his jacket. "It's time to put you down." He aimed it at the woman's face and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out, quickly followed by a wet burst. The woman collapsed like a broken doll, a wordless plea still frozen on her face. A circular wound lie open in the center of her forehead, slowly oozing fluids onto the filthy streets.

"Now." Gabriel said anger evident in his voice. "Now, do what you will."

X roared with rage charged into the trio sending them crashing into the brick wall beyond. He slammed his fists into two of the men's face, causing them to slump to the ground, unconscious. He lifted the shooter into the air, rage clouding into his features. "Why did you do it?" X said, vision clouding from rage. Twin blades slowly grew from X's wrist, and he pointed the weapons at the man's neck. "Why?" He demanded.

"Look, I don't know what you're on pal, but you're looking for trouble."

"Oh, I'm looking for trouble." X mimicked sarcastically. He threw the man savagely over his shoulder, sending him crashing into a brick wall, causing the building to shake with the impact. The man cowered backwards, and shaking brought a wallet forward. "What's that?"

"My badge. I'm LAPD, and you're going to get into a lot of trouble for beating a cop."

X snarled and lifted the man by his neck slowly up the building's wall. He held back a blade and angrily brandished it. "Who says I'm only planning on beating you?" X said, rage building in his eyes

"X, stop!" Gabriel said. He turned and looked at Gabriel questioningly, and the man gently put a hand on his shoulder. "This is not the way. If you do this, you will be no better then the villains who were responsible for this tragedy." X hesitated, and finally pulled back his blades, glaring at the villain in anger. Gabriel smiled. "Good, you've taken your first step onto a path that will change everything." They walked off, and Gabriel sighed. "Now you understand why the Mavericks fight. Two weeks from today, a group of reploids will read about this attack and the young woman's murder. They will become incensed, much like you were, and seek revenge. However, the police officers they kill will not be the same ones that committed the crime. These events will create a nonstop cycle of violence and revenge that will culminate in the Hunters being called in with orders to terminate a group of people who were… overzealous in writing a wrong."

"So you're saying that the Mavericks are right?"

"No, not at all."

X paused. "So the Maverick's aren't right, and the Hunters aren't right. So I'm guessing you're trying to tell me there's a third way?"

Gabriel smiled. "Very good, very good indeed. You see, the simple fact of the matter is that the Hunters are loosing their war. They fight too many enemies on too many different fronts. Furthermore, many governments hate them for what they view as foreign influence in their country. In two years time, the Hunters will be destroyed to a man. Every man and woman who bears the Hunter name will be killed. They need something more."

"What are you saying?"

"One hundred and seventy three years ago, this country was in a similar condition as it is now. But a man was born named Martin Luther King Jr. who managed to stop that. He became a symbol that men everywhere could rally behind, a symbol of peace, freedom and brotherhood. The world needs that right now, as do the Hunters. The entire world needs a man that they can look at and see every virtue that the Hunters fight for: Justice, freedom, and most importantly peace. If you become that man, if you devote yourself entirely to their cause, and become an incorruptible symbol of everything they stand for, then the entire world will look to you as a leader, and all the horrors you saw will fade away."

X nodded. "Go on."

"There will of course be some caveats. You must not kill, not unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, you must understand one basic principle of mankind. There is no such thing as pure good, or pure evil. Within the heart of even the most pure and noble man lies a demon, urging itself to be free. Likewise, within even the most foul, abhorrent man there is potential for good. Another thing is that every person who fights, believe they do so for a cause. Mavericks believe that they are freedom fighters, and will often refuse to believe otherwise. You must understand that we are all ruled by our perception of the truth. You may challenge their view, and you may even succeed once or twice, but never assume that you are right, and your enemy is wrong. It is very rarely that simple or that kind. Always keep this at the forefront of your mind; it will help you on your path. Finally, as a warning, if you commit yourself to this path, bear in mind that you will be hated. There will be people in your life who hate you with all their heart, and they will be on both sides of the conflict."

"Why, I mean if I become everything you say, then why would people hate me?"

"If you choose to do everything I say, people will not view you as a man. They will view you as a legend, a hero much like the ancient King Arthur." Noting X's bewildered look, he sighed. "Read about the man, his ideals will be a guide to you. Now then, as I was saying, people do not like a standard that they cannot live up to. There will be those who hate you simply because of that simple fact. Others will view you as a threat to their power, and still others will view you as a defender of a corrupt system. All of these will hate you, but many more will rally behind you. They will see in you a better way; a way to stop the endless violence and bloodshed that plagues their lives."

X paused, staring out at a small blue lake that lay in front of them. The moon reflected it's gentle silver light onto the surface of the water, giving the gentle movement of the water a crystalline feature. Finally he said, "This is a lot you expect of me."

"I know." Gabriel said sympathetically.

"What if I can't do it, what if I fail?"

"Then all may be lost. I may be able to see some outcomes, but I am not omniscient. Everything in your life depends on the choice you make."

"So I do have a choice."

"Yes, of course you do."

""So what if I don't want to do any of this?"

Gabriel sighed. "I honestly would not blame you. This is a lot to lie on your shoulders. Looking at you now, I sincerely wish I could take what I said back; I wish there was someone else that I could lay this burden on. Unfortunately, there is only you. If you walked away, you would be free to live your own life, to be happy or unhappy as you choose. But many would suffer because you were not there to save them. So the choice is yours. Do you want to live your life for yourself, or to help others?"

X paused, looking intently at the water. Finally he stood up. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing in this world, and I doubt I'm going to be everything that you want me to be. I can help, and I can try to be this…person you're looking for, but that's all I can do."

Gabriel slapped X proudly on his shoulder. "That's all anyone can expect of you, my boy." He looked up, and his hat gently blew towards him on the night breeze. He caught the wayward clothing and put it on his head, smiling smugly. "Ah, now that's more like it. Now, there is one more thing, before I leave." He waved his hand over the water, and Alia's smiling reflection appeared in the water. "She is a truly beautiful woman, isn't she?"

X stared at the image, and shrugged. "I guess."

Gabriel laughed. "I keep forgetting that despite all evidence to the contrary, you are still very much a child. You see, when I told you about all the trials you would face, I didn't mention that there would be rewards."

"Like what?"

"Alia is the exact opposite of everything you saw in that alley. She is merciful, kind, and loving. She has cared for you from nearly the first moment she laid eyes on you, although she is still not sure why."

"Did you…" X said, but Gabriel simply laughed.

"I may have my own talents, but love isn't one of them. I have no idea why she feels the way she does, but I do know how she feels. Now tell me, how do you feel for her?"

"I don't know." X said simply. Gabriel suddenly smacked X in the back of his head. X turned towards Gabriel and rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Gabriel in annoyance. "What was that for?"

"Because you are thinking entirely too much, and with the wrong organ. Don't think from here," He said, pointing at X's head. "Think from here." He said, pointing at X's chest. "Think about what you thought when you first saw her. Think about how you feel when you enter the room and when she smiles at you, about everything good about her."

X paused, and smiled. "She has something about her. It's kind of strange, whenever she sits down and talks to me, it feels kind of…warm."

Gabriel laughed. "Well, that's a start I guess." He handed X a brilliant red rose, and in the center of it was a black crystal, that gave a soft light as hundreds of miniature points of light cascaded across the center of the jewel. "Give her this." He said simply. "It may help you win her heart. And one more thing," He said, pulling a heavy book from his jacket. "This book will teach you everything you need to know about your path. It's called Celestial Wanderings. Read it and devote it to memory." X took both the book and the flower eagerly, and Gabriel smiled. "Good night, young one."

A blaring beeping noise suddenly seemed to shake everything around X, and he suddenly gasped and stood up, the familiar sights of the small bedroom surrounding him. Brilliant sunlight streamed into the room, and he turned towards the offensive noise, turning off the alarm next to him. He stood up and stretched, feeling warm blood return to his cramped muscles. He turned towards the door, and it suddenly opened, revealing Alia's smiling face. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He said simply. "Was I here all night?"

Alia frowned, puzzled. "I would assume so, why?"

"So I didn't go to Los Angeles or anything like that?"

Alia laughed. "No, of course not."

X paused, thinking. "So it was just a dream."

"Must have been some dream, you look a lot better then yesterday."

"I've learned a lot."

"Overnight?"

"I…it's a long story." He looked up at Alia and smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"We saw each other last night." Alia replied, confused.

"Never mind, it's…"

"A long story, yeah I'm starting to catch on." Alia replied, standing up.

The pair walked down the halls to the small training room, and X said. "So what's on the agenda for today's training?"

"Nothing too extensive. We're going to brief you on what the Hunters are, what our job is, and when we can and cannot act. If we get around to it, I'll show you some of the weaponry you'll be issued. You'll be expected to excel in every one of the weapons we show you."

X paused. "I thought I was supposed to be proficient in them, not excel."

"What can I say; Headquarters has high hopes for you."

"Great..." The walked into a large conference area and a short man with clean cut black hair turned towards him, a friendly smile on his face. Metallic blue armor hung off his skinny frame and spiky black hair shot out of control from his head. Green eyes inspected the newcomer and a jovial smile was on his face as X walked up.

"X, this is Rock. Rock was the man your genetic template was based off of. Rock, this is X." Rock extended his hand, and X firmly shook it. "Alright, down to business. There's a lot of history behind the Hunters, but this is a briefing, not a history lesson, so I'll keep it…"

"Brief?" Rock quipped.

Alia glared at Rock. "Short. The Hunters were founded almost fifteen years ago. They were at first a small military unit directly under the command of the Global Defense force, or GDF. They were charged with the location and neutralization of criminal reploids, specifically ones too dangerous for local law enforcement to handle. These reploids have been given the nickname 'Mavericks.' Unfortunately, international jurisdiction proved to be a problem, and the commander of the organization at that time, a man named Hunter, continuously petitioned to have the Hunters function as a form of global police, with authority to perform operations worldwide without having to worry about jurisdiction and sovereign borders. He was always denied, until a particularly dangerous maverick appeared in the public eye." She pressed a button on the control panel, and a picture of a skinny blonde man appeared. "This is Zero. He appeared a few years back, killing countless numbers of civilians and causing billions of dollars of property damage. The Hunters put together a strike force to take him down. On July 27th 2099 we finally managed to corner him."

"What happened?" X replied

"We don't know. Headquarters was tracking the signal at the time, and Zero was slowly starting to lose ground. However, an unknown and unregistered airborne vehicle entered the airspace around Chicago at that time. The vessel declared that in order to contain Zero, they were going to unleash a class three nuclear weapon on the city, and were instructed to evacuate."

"What?" X said, leaping from his seat. "How is that possible?"

"They were equipped with a prototype cloak that allowed them to get through the American defenses. The Air Force managed to get a few fighters in the air fast enough to combat it, but they were shot down almost effortlessly. The hunters managed to evacuate, and the city was annihilated. Our scanners were knocked out by the resulting EMP, so we have no idea what happened afterwards. We believe that Zero was killed in the blast, but as the immediate area was vaporized, we can't confirm the kill." Alia leaned back in her chair, and slowly sighed. "It was bad, we lost so many…too many."

"How many casualties?"

"We lost fifty of us that day, and the infuriating part was that zero only killed six of them. Whoever was responsible killed forty-four of our best men and vaporized millions of innocent civilians."

"Some good came out of the tragedy." Rock replied "After the incident, Sigma managed to convince the UN that if the Hunters had use of better funding, better equipment, and more troops, they could have not only captured Zero, but stopped the nuclear blast. The UN agreed, and made the Hunters an official branch of global law enforcement. They were given unprecedented powers to investigate, capture, and contain dangerous mavericks worldwide. Not only that, but our power supersedes any and all mandates of the country we're in, allowing us to operate globally without answering to any authorities save the UN itself."

"This brings us to modern times." Alia said, recovering. "Like Rock said, we have the power to go in and contain any maverick we deem a danger to world security. We've also gathered nearly one thousand of the world's best fighters and turned them into a fighting force to be reckoned with."

X frowned. "That seems a little…small."

"We also have a considerable support base backing them up and providing them with constant up to date information. Also keep in mind that every hunter in our ranks is one of the most skilled fighters on the planet. We're not joking about this, and so far we've been very effective at what we do."

"So what are our duties?"

"We are, of course, responsible for the capture and containment of known and suspected mavericks. Another thing we do is help out the law enforcement agencies of the area in which we're located. Strictly speaking, there's nothing that says we should, but trust me it makes life a hell of a lot easier if the cops not only know who you are, but also see you as an ally. We keep an eye on organized crime, drugs and arms trafficking, and pretty much anything else that local law enforcement thinks they could use our help with. Now, do you have any questions?" X shook his head, and Alia grinned. "Alright, now we can move onto your weapons training. Computer, initiate transfer to building A37."

The room suddenly seemed to shift, and a brilliant white light filled X's eyes as he suddenly appeared in a massive armory. "What was that?" X replied, suddenly disoriented.

"It's called a Molecular Alignment Device." Alia replied. "It converts the body into quantum energy and moves it through a stable particle stream to another location."

X winced. "The MAD?"

Rock laughed. "Yeah, we fired our acronym guy after that one."

Alia grinned, and retrieved a rifle from a rack nearby. "Alright, this little guy will be your best friend. Meet the P197, a relatively recent upgrade to the US P90. It's designed from a lightweight frame designed for easy access and concealment. On the back is your standard issue ammo counter. The barrel is equipped with a silencer for covert purposes, and when turned off can be outfitted with a rail system developed by the engineers. Check it out." She put the weapon down, and pulled out what looked like a small harness. "The device snaps over the front of the weapon, and the two wires stretch along opposite ends of the frame. Finally, the power pack along the back snaps near the rear of the weapon. Catch." She said simply, tossing the weapon to X.

X turned the weapon over in his hands, testing it. "It's heavier then it looks." He replied, tossing it back to Alia.

"Rail weapons require a lot of power. Most of the weight in the attachment comes from the rear battery. You're a big guy, you can handle it."

"How much stopping power does it have?"

Wordlessly, Alia turned towards the cement wall in the back of the room, and fired a single round. A massive boom erupted from the gun, and instantly the cement wall exploded outwards, revealing a basketball shaped hole in the wall. "Does that answer your question?" She said simply.

"Yes. That's a covert weapon?"

"The rail attachment is for heavy combat operations. Ninety percent of the time you'll be using it unmodified." She grinned. "I just think it's cool. Alright, this baby can fire approximately 1200 rounds per minute with a hundred pound clip. Standard ammunition is Teflon coated, armor piercing round. Switch near the loader switches it from single round shot, to burst, to fully automatic. Ammo loading is simple, pop the clip out of the top, and pop the new cartridge in. We also design smart bullets to go with the weapon, but be careful. The nano-triggers we put on the weapon only allow for minor course correction. Too much margin for error, or too much cover and the stopping power of the bullet greatly suffers." She walked over and picked up a small metal chip the size of a thumb. "Put this on, right over your temple." X complied, and a bright neon green display suddenly overlaid on top of his normal vision. A green square appeared over Alia and Rock, and the word ally appeared next to them. "Say hello to your friendly neighborhood threat detector. This baby works directly with the P197. If you have smart bullets loaded, they will home in on any target that shows up as hostile. Furthermore, unless specifically overridden by the user, when using the attachment the gun will not fire unless pointed directly at a hostile. Alright X, try and take a few shots, let's see how you do."

A plastic target appeared, with bull's-eyes centered on the head and torso. X took aim and fired. Bullet holes appeared in a close cluster directly in the dummies forehead and chest. Rock whistled. "Nice."

Alia nodded. "Very nice." She agreed. "Alright, now we have a large grouping of ranged weapons including pistols, energy weapons, and various others, but most of them aren't used that often. The P197's our golden boy. Now, let's check out your skill with melee weapons." She handed X a small metallic cylinder. "This is what's called an E-Saber. When activated, it emits a stream of SPM energy that functions as a blade."

"SPM?"

"Stable Particulate Matter. It's the primary means of energy we use. It powers our ships, vehicles, even a few of our bases. It comes in two varieties, stable and unstable. Unstable particulate matter is what we use primarily in weaponry, the E-saber being the most notable exception. What happens is when UPM comes in contact with standard matter; it breaks apart the molecular bonds that hold the matter together. This makes it an excellent base for energy weapons. Stable particulate matter, however, doesn't violently react with matter, and we use that to our advantage when we created the E-sabers. The beam is a high intensity beam of SPM, powerful enough to cut through practically anything."

X activated the beam, and a brilliant golden light shot from the handle. He swung the blade, testing it. The blade swung wide, and cut through a solid steel weapons rack as if it were butter. X blinked in surprise. "Impressive." He remarked, still staring at the sundered rack.

Alia grabbed the weapon from his hand, pocketing it. "None for you, you're too young." She replied. "Alright, let's focus on the ranged weapons for now. There are over one hundred and fifty variations of rifles, heavy weapons, and pistols here. Let's test you on them."

"Which ones am I going to be use?"

"All of them."

The training stretched long into the night and early the next morning. Alia finally slumped out of the weapons locker, exhausted. She walked over to the kitchen and poured herself a large cup of coffee, only to notice Roll's cat staring at her intently. "Hey kitty." She said, reaching towards it. The cat ignored her, instead leaping onto her shoulder, then vaulting itself into the cabinet. It pushed a sealed container of tuna outside the cabinet and onto the counter below. To Alia's amazement, the creature flipped the can onto the side and rolled it to the can opener. The machine managed to detect the can and rapidly opened it, allowing the cat to feast on the newly opened tuna. "Crazy." Alia remarked, studying the cat.

"What's crazy?" Roll replied, walking up behind her. Alia pointed at the cat's feast, and Roll sighed annoyed. "Tango, how many times have I told you not to get into the food?" The cat simply meowed happily and leapt onto Roll's shoulder. Roll walked over to the cabinet and examined it's contents. "You want some tea?"

"No, thanks, I'm more of a coffee person." Alia replied.

"So how goes the training?"

"He's been at it for 16 hours straight, learning everything he could about all of the weapons in the weapons locker."

"When you say all of them, do you mean…?"

"All of them. All one hundred and fifty weapons. He learned them inside and out, and then proceeded to blow away every physical test and hand to hand combat test that we threw at him. Hell, I was just watching and I'm exhausted."

"Makes sense, you've been up for nearly 20 hours. Get some rest."

"No, I'm fine. I just needed a cup of coffee and after that it's back to work."

"Does your sudden work ethic have something to do with who you're testing?" Roll replied, grinning.

"Am I that obvious?" Alia replied, sighing in frustration.

"Oh yeah. In fact the only person who doesn't know is X himself."

Alia bolted up instantly. "You've talked to him about it?"

"No. To be honest, the weirdest thing happened. Yesterday he was acting practically like a robot, and now today he's exited, making jokes, and completely focused. It's the strangest thing."

"That's weird, did he say why?"

"He mentioned something about a dream."

"Did he say what the dream was about?"

"No."

"Whatever, my point is that you should go for it."

"Roll, for essentially the next few weeks I'm his boss. How is that going to work?"

"That's up to the two of you."

Alia sighed. "I'll think about it." She frowned at her coffee, and shrugged, walking off. Just as she left, she saw Tango leap off Roll's shoulder and lap at the liquid curiously. Alia laughed. "Go easy, Tango, I make pretty strong coffee." The cat suddenly looked up, it's eyes opening wide, and bolted down the hallway. Roll sighed. "Oh great, now I have to see what trouble he's gotten into." Roll left the room, and Alia wandered aimlessly down the hallway, lost in thought.

"Hey Alia!" Rock shouted out. She turned, and Rock walked, exhausted, over to her. "X just finished his training."

Alia nodded. "How'd he do?"

"Better then anyone expected. He destroyed every combat simulation I threw at him. I ran out of ideas, so he went outside."

"What's X doing?"

"No idea. He just walked over to the grounds outside and just started staring upwards."

Alia frowned, confused. "I'll see what's going on." She walked outside, and found X lying on his back, staring on the sky. "Is something wrong?" She said, kneeling beside him.

X shook his head and continued to stare aimlessly at the sky. "Beautiful, aren't they?" He replied, transfixed. Noting Alia's confused look, he pointed upwards. "The stars; they're beautiful."

Alia followed X's gaze upwards, and smiled. Countless stars shimmered in the night sky, each one casting it's delicate light to the ground below. She looked down at X, and saw each of the stars reflecting in his eyes. "Yeah, they are." She whispered.

"Does this happen every night?"

Alia laughed. "Pretty much. We're a little to close to Tokyo, so the lights from the city interfere a bit. I remember back home you could see the stars for miles around."

"Home?"

"Kansas. My father took the farmland he owned and turned it into a laboratory. It was beautiful; you could see nothing but countryside for miles around. At night the stars seemed to fill the sky, and when there was a full moon, it covered everything in strange silver light." Alia replied, reminiscing. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't normally get homesick. I haven't even seen my home in years."

"Why not?" X replied, rolling over to face Alia.

"Work gets in the way. I spend most of my time hopping all around the planet, doing whatever they need me to."

X nodded wordlessly in response. Suddenly he leaned close to Alia, and gently put his hand in her hair. "Hold still." He said simply.

"What?"

"You have a twig in your hair. Here, let me get it out." X pulled the small object out gently, and slowly ran his fingers through her hair.

The pair sat in silence, each one staring deeply into the others eyes. Finally Alia turned away, embarrassed. "Thanks."

"Sure." X replied, smiling.

Alia returned the smile, and reached out, grabbing X's hand. "Here, let me show you something." Alia said, holding his hand up towards the sky. "Do you see that group of stars right there?" When X nodded, she continued. "That's the constellation Andromeda. Myth has it that Andromeda was a woman so beautiful that it offended the gods. As punishment, they put her up in the sky so that no mortal man could see her ever again."

"What happened to her?" X replied.

"Her lover, a great hero named Perseus, was determined to free her from her prison. He defied the gods and went to the vault of the sky. That's his constellation right there. The myth says that he's destined to spend eternity constantly looking for her, never to be with her again." X nodded, and stared at the stars with Alia. He turned, and watched her almost golden hair blowing in the wind, the stars long forgotten. She turned towards him suddenly, her azure eyes suddenly staring at him. "What?" She asked, laughing.

"Is something wrong?"

"You've been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes."

"Oh." X replied, laughing. "Sorry, I was just…distracted."

"Oh really?" Alia replied, playfully. "What distracted you?"

X laughed. "It's…not important. You seem tired, how long has it been since you've gotten some sleep?"

"Only about a day or two. I'm fine, trust me, I've gone a lot longer without sleep. Just give me a good cup of coffee every few hours and I'm good."

"You should get some sleep." X replied, standing up.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Alia replied, walking to the door leading inside. She turned towards X, and delicately brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "Would you mind walking me to my room?"

"Not at all." X said, walking beside her. The pair walked in silence, and Alia reached out, holding X's hands within hers. X stared at the gesture, confused. He looked up to say something, but saw Alia looking down the hall, a smile on her delicate features. He shrugged, and walked her down to her room.

Alia paused outside. "Thanks."

"For?"

"Nothing it's just been a long time since I…never mind."

"Well then, I guess you're welcome."

Alia looked at X expectantly. "Will I see you again tomorrow?"

"Of course. We still have more training to do, remember?"

Alia laughed. "Right. Training. We can't forget that. Good night." She walked into her room, and the doors slid shut automatically, leaving her alone in the room. She walked over to a small box in the center of her room and opened it. Inside a simple band of gold with a small diamond lay silently atop a pile of old pictures. Alia held the ring in her hand wordlessly and flipped through the pictures. In the pictures she held onto a bear of a man, nearly seven feet tall, and the two smiled ecstatically at the camera. On the back of the picture, a simple note was elegantly written, and each word sent despair wringing through her.

"Alia,

You have all my love, for all eternity.

Orion."

Alia looked at the note, and then wordlessly away, tears streaming down her face. She lie in bed, letting sleep slowly take her.

The next day dawned, and X stood in the center of the training area, a smile appearing on his face. "Rock,." X shouted. "Did you program that simulation I asked you for?"

"Yes, but I really don't see the point."

"Just load it."

Rock sighed from the observation bay above X. "This is going to be interesting." X rubbed his hands together in anticipation, and beams of light coalesced into a solid figure. It stood just halfway as tall as X, a frown plastered on its face. A simple black suit covered it from head to toe, and a thin scarlet bat stretched across it's chest. A simple cowl stretched upwards to pointy ears at the ears, and a black belt with a red button centered directly on it centered across the figure's waist. "Ok, before we do this, I have to ask. Why do you want to fight Batman?"

"I like Batman." X replied, staring at the frozen hologram. "Besides, you're the one who programmed a training sim based on Seven Samurai."

"Fine you win." Rock replied, shaking his head. "The simulation's starting now."

The hologram instantly unfroze, unleashing a lightning fast series of punches at X. X blocked each one, backing up under the onslaught. He leapt over the hologram, and wrapped it in a savage headlock. "Hey." He said, looking up at Rock. "I'm winning!" The hologram slammed an elbow into X's face, and deftly turned, throwing him into steel wall. X stepped backwards, clearing the stars from his eyes, and stepped forward, hitting the hologram with a savage uppercut. It flew backwards, and cart wheeled, landing neatly on it's feet. X rushed forward, but twin jets shot out of the hologram's boots, sending it shooting upwards. Twin red wings appeared under the arms of the hologram, and it soared just out of reach. X frowned. "Ok, didn't see that one coming." A series of buzzing blades shot downwards, forcing him to duck and weave between the blades. His hand suddenly shot out, grabbing one of the blades in his hands. He hurled the weapon at the hologram, and it span upwards, cutting the wings from the hologram. It fell to the ground, and he met it, hurling it into the wall. The hologram slumped to the ground, and disappeared. "That wasn't so hard." X said, dusting himself off.

"Congratulations, can we go now?" Rock replied.

They walked outside, and saw Alia grabbing her coat. "Hey, where have you two been?"

"Training." X said, grinning. "Where are you off to?"

"I was just going to the mall." Alia said simply. She looked into X's eyes and smiled. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure."

"Hey I'll come too, there's something I've been meaning to pick up at…" Catching Alia's glare he grimaced. "You know what, never mind. I have to do some work on the holo simulator anyway."

X grinned. "Good, make that program I was working on harder."

Rock laughed, and walked away. Alia turned to X, confused. "What simulation were you training with?"

"Never mind, let's go." They turned to walk away, and a sudden glint caught X's eye. He turned towards the light, and saw a familiar book and rose lying next to the door. X knelt down, picking up the objects. "So it wasn't a dream…" He said simply.

"What wasn't?" Alia said, confused.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said, standing up. "Here, this is for you." He said, offering Alia the rose.

Alia stared into the cascading lights in the crystal and watched them, breathless. "Wow…" She said simply, staring at it numbly. "This is… it's beautiful, thank you."

X smiled. "I'm glad you like it." The pair walked to the car and drove off, heading off into the city. They approached a large building with a massive parking low, and X whistled in amazement. "Wow, I've never seen so many people in one place."

Alia laughed. "It's called a mall. I thought about it and decided you should see more of the world. You know, be around people, and if you get to help me shop while I'm at it, that's just another plus." The two walked into the mall, pushing their way through the crowds of people. Alia walked to the nearest clothing store and began perusing through it's contents eagerly. She finally turned to X, holding up a leather jacket. "What do you think?"

X looked at her sideways, and grinned. "You look good."

"Thanks, my sister's the one who normally does the leather thing, but I thought I should try something new."

"You have a sister?" X inquired.

"I have two actually, Ophelia and Rey."

"What are they like?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure anymore. I haven't seen either of them in years. Rey and I never really got along. She always had this huge chip on her shoulder for some reason. No matter how hard I tried to be friendly with her, she always hated me."

"Why?"

"She never said." Alia shrugged. "Who knows, maybe she's grown up by now."

"What about your other sister, Ophelia?"

Alia's face in instantly fell. "She's in an asylum."

"I'm sorry." X replied.

"It's not your fault, there's no way that you could have known." Alia shrugged.

"What happened?"

"I honestly don't know. One day she went over to break up with her boyfriend, and then we suddenly got the news that she killed three people. She managed to evade the police, and I went over to where we used to play as children and found her. She was sitting absently on the swing, muttering absolute gibberish. We managed to get her to a hospital, and they determined that she had Disassociative Personality Disorder. The police determined that she was too much of a threat to exposed to the public, and they transferred her."

"Well that's good, right?" X said, trying to comfort her. "She's getting treatment. Don't worry; I'm sure she'll recover soon."

Alia burst into sobs, and shook her head. "No, there's no treatment. Ophelia was born with a special ability. She can re-channel any energy she comes into contact with and absorb it into her body. When the police first tried to contain her, she destroyed a city block before they managed it. Just ripped it apart with her bare hands. They built a special facility for her containment. They call it the Alighieri Mental Institute. She's buried under 9 stories of concrete, armed sentries and turrets. They've got her contained in a massive container of Quantum Suspension Fluid. She's trapped in a metal canister, barely alive."

"I'm sorry." X said. The pair walked over to a bench and they sat, the silence only broken by Alia's occasional sob. "Are you going to be alright?

Alia wiped her tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Come on, let's get you home." X said, standing to leave.

Alia shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm having fun, really. Everyone has their own family problems."

"I guess I'm lucky then." X replied. "I don't have a family."

"Of course you do, you have the Lights."

"I thought your family was people you're related to"

"Not for us. You see, a lot of people think the same as you, but they're wrong. Humans don't get to choose their family, but we're blessed. While most Reploids refer to their creator as mother or father, we get to choose our family. Our family isn't a simple association of genetic material; it's who we care about, those people who share a similar soul to us."

X nodded. "I think I understand."

"No you don't, but you will. Trust me." They sat in silence, and Alia stood, grinning. "Come on, I have to show you something."

They walked to a small booth in the center of the mall, and Alia returned with what appeared to be some strange form of solid milk on top of an oddly shaped cracker. "What is this?" X said, confused.

"It's called ice cream." Alia replied, laughing. "You know the tactics of military leaders from Alexander the Great to Dwight Eisenhower, and you have no idea what ice cream."

"No, what is it?"

"It's food, genius. Try some."

X shrugged, and took a large bite out of the top of the cone. X looked sideways at the cone. "It's not bad." Suddenly, a massive bolt of pain shot through his head, and he pressed against his temple, groaning. "What in this poison?" he said, widening his eyes.

Alia laughed, nearly spilling her ice cream. "It's called a brain freeze. You're supposed to eat it slowly."

"I don't think I like ice cream." X said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, the laws of thermodynamics are a harsh mistress." She said, watching X recover. "Are you alright?"

"Yes" X said, looking disdainfully at the cone. He shrugged and tossed the food in the thrash.

Alia tried to stop laughing. "I'm sorry, I honestly thought you like it."

X laughed. "Come on."

The pair walked outside, and sat outside a small pond. They sat together wordlessly, and X smiled. Alia saw the expression and looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"I was at a pond just like this in my dream." X said, watching the movement of the water.

"What happened?"

"A man was talking to me about you, actually. He said that you cared for me."

"Oh really?" Alia said, leaning back.

"Yes. I'm not really sure what that means, but I like you. You're fun to be around, you make me smile, and… I don't know, is this making any sense at all?"

Alia smiled. "Yes, actually."

"When you're done training me, where are you going to go?"

"I'm not sure, probably back to the Citadel or wherever they need me."

"I was wondering…could you…I mean if it's not much to ask…stay with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I'm lost in this world. I have no idea what I'm doing half the time, and I'm going to need some help. Besides, if you left, I'd…you know…miss you."

Alia laughed. "I'd like that."

"Good." X said, smiling. "Come on, let's go see what else this place has to offer." The pair walked off, and X softly grabbed Alia's hand, linking their fingers together. Alia smiled at the gesture, and walked down the halls of the mall with him, a warm glow warming her heart.

Blaring rock music blasted from the small bar's speakers, downing out the conversations of it's huddled clients. The rank smell of Tequila and cigar smoke mixed together into a pungent aroma that spilled out into the city streets, causing passers to gag in disgust. The owner sniffed disdainfully at them, and every time it happened yells and taunts erupted from the unsavory crowd. The owner waded through the filth that covered her floor and halfheartedly wiped a small pile of white dust from a small table in the back. The music abruptly stopped, and a giant of a man walked through the door, having to duck down to get inside. He stood easily seven feet tall, and massive arms peeked out from his shirt. A jacket barely covered his well muscled torso, and a handgun hung from his waist. He stared in the room in open contempt, and scowled beneath a massive cowboy hat. Every head jerked up to see the new arrival, save for two. "Evening, Slash." The owner said, handing him a beer.

Slash didn't even look up as he downed the beer in one gulp. "My usual seat open?" He growled.

"No." The owner said, pointing towards a biker hunched over a small table.

Slash looked over, unimpressed. "Will be soon." Slash walked over to the table and slammed his hand down, nearly snapping the table in half. "Yer in my seat." He growled at the biker.

The biker laughed. "You have got to be kidding me." He stared at Slash for a moment, and opened his jacket, revealing a massive handgun hidden inside. "I'm an Angel, man. You don't want to mess with me."

Slash grunted. "Angel, huh?" The man nodded, and Slash instantly lashed out, grabbing the man and lifting him off the ground. "Then let's send you to Heaven." He effortlessly crushed the biker's windpipe and tossed the body to the ground. He sat down, and the owner walked over with another beer.

"Next time, just tell him to move." A voice rang out. He turned, and a statuesque woman walked over to him. Midnight black hair with purple streaks covered most of her face, and she sat down opposite Slash.

"Who the hell are you?" In response, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a small square of paper. A blood red crane was inscribed meticulously into the paper, and a black gem sat simply where the eye should be. Slash stared at the paper in amazement. "The Black Crane." He whispered in amazement.

"I see you've heard of me." The woman said, leaning back.

"I'd be amazed at anyone who hasn't. You're the most famous assassin in the world."

"Stop, you're making me blush." The woman replied dryly.

"So why does someone like you decide to head down to a dung heap like this?"

"It just so happens that I occasionally do recruiting. I represent an organization that's had their eyes on you for a while. Despite your complete lack of subtlety, you have potential. Potential that we can use."

"Sorry girlie, I work alone."

"My employer will be sorry to hear that; he's already gone through the trouble of arranging a test."

"And how much would this test pay?"

The woman set a massive metallic briefcase on the table. "Half a million U.S. Another half once you've completed the job. As you become more useful to us, we'll be willing to pay more."

Slash grunted. "Who's the target?"

"His name's X. He's a prototype reploid designed by the Hunters. We've had him under surveillance, and decided he's a threat." She handed him a small envelope. "More information is in there, along with your plane ticket and passport."

"Where is the target?"

"Tokyo, Japan."

Slash nodded and hefted the briefcase. "I'll take the job."

"Good. See that you don't fail."

Alia woke up the next day, smiling as she saw the rose that X gave her standing proudly on the stand near her bed. She got up and suddenly heard a buzzing ringing from the other side of the door. She opened it and frowned at Rock who stood, panting on the other side. "What's going on?"

"X is on the news." Rock replied breathlessly.

X wandered absently down an open air market, pausing occasionally to check out the contents of a booth. A young child ran screaming through the market and slammed into X, tumbling to the ground. X stared down at the kid, smiling. "Hello."

A young woman raced in front of X, and paused panting. "Oh thank god you found him." She said breathlessly.

"Actually, he found me." X replied. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank god. The fire department barely managed to get us out in time."

X looked up and saw a massive cloud of smoke rising up from a nearby apartment building. X stood, silently taking in the site. "Did they get everyone out?" He asked simply.

"No, it's too hot for anyone to go inside. I remember there's a young woman stuck on the 21st story."

X swore and rushed over to a nearby booth. He stared at the equipment, and finally grabbed what looks like a pair of wrist guards with a sharp metal point sticking out. "What are these?" He asked the seller.

"You got a good eye son; those are the new climbing harpoons that came in. Just press the button under your palm and it shoots that harpoon into the rock and propels you upwards."

"How strong are they?"

"They'll shoot a harpoon into six inches of solid rock with absolutely no give."

"Perfect, I'll take it." X handed the man a credit card and put the harpoons on, strapping each one onto his wrist. He ran off towards the fire and quickly moved through the throngs of worried people. He walked in front of the fire fighters and tapped him on the shoulder. "What's happening?"

The man turned, annoyed. "I've told you people for the last time, no civilians are allowed past the tape."

"I'm not a civilian. Is that woman still on the top floor?"

"Yes, we've tried bringing her down, but none of us can get in there." X moved aside, and took careful aim. He fired the harpoon, and the miniature projectile shot forward, imbedding itself in the roof of the building. A slender metal wire hung from the back of it, and X tested the weight. "What the hell are you doing?" The fire chief asked, amazed.

"Something either really brave or really stupid." X pressed the button on the harpoon, and he shot upwards, racing forward at blinding speeds. X yelped in surprise, and crashed through the weakened wood of the building. The harpoon retracted automatically, and X picked himself up.

A terrified young woman stared at him in disbelief. "Who are you?"

"I'm here to rescue you." X said simply, dusting himself off. The heat poured in from every inch of the building, and fire peeked out from the windows and door like a malevolent hand. "Come on, we're leaving." He said, grabbing the doorknob. Blinding pain hit his hand, and he jumped back. "Careful, the doorknob's hot." He said, shaking his burnt hand. He pushed against the door, but it refused to move. X sighed in frustration. "This… is going to hurt." He grabbed the doorknob and, ignoring the pain and the heat burning away his flesh, slammed against the door with all his strength. The door instantly flew outwards, tossing the support beams blocking it aside.

X walked outside and found massive flames consuming the stairway down. A few pieces of wood hung weakly onto the walls, then tumbled down into the darkness below. The woman cried out in fear, and stared at the downwards. "There's no way down! We're going to die!"

"Calm down and let me think."

"What do you need to think for, just hurry up and save us!"

"Quiet." X commanded, annoyed. He grabbed the woman, and shot the harpoon into the ceiling. He vaulted the edge, and the wire slowed his descent as he dropped to the ground floor of the building. He kicked the door down, revealing fresh air outside. The woman rushed outwards, screaming in jubilation.

A massive cheer erupted from the crowd outside as they saw him exit, and the woman hugged him gratefully. Suddenly, the fire chief shouted in alarm, pointing towards the building. "The tank!" He shouted, motioning for people to move. "Everyone get out, the tank's going to blow!"

A massive fireball started to form, and X ducked down, shielding the young woman. The fire engulfed him, although oddly he didn't feel any heat. The crowd screamed, and suddenly silenced as X stood up over an untouched woman. A strange, shining white armor covered X from head to toe. The outside shone like polished steel, yet offered complete freedom of movement when X tested it. The joints shone an emerald green, and a blue and red gem sat on the helmet. The armor suddenly liquefied, and reformed to a magnificent white trench coat, with a green tiger etched on the back. He tuned towards the woman, his new jacket stretching slightly as he bent down. "Are you alright?" He asked. The woman nodded, and he smiled. "Good. The next time you move to an apartment; do everyone a favor and make sure you're closer to the ground."

The crowd stared, gaping at him. One lady pushed to the forefront. "Are…are you an angel?" She said reverently.

X shook his head. "I was lucky." He turned and walked away, disappearing into the growing crowd.

Alia paced up and down the halls, pausing every few seconds to look at the door. "I'm going to kill him."

"Why?" Roll asked, watching the news report wrap up.

"He was supposed to be a top secret project! No one was supposed to know about X, and he gets his face put on the evening news! How is that helpful?"

Roll shrugged. "People were going to learn about him eventually. At least everyone thinks he's a hero now."

"Yes, he saved one person from a burning building, yippee for him. In case you didn't know, we're out to save the world."

"Exactly." Roll said. Alia stopped pacing, and gave her a confused look. "Why did you join the Hunters in the first place Alia."

"Simple, I wanted to help people."

"Then why are you getting angry at him for saving somebody?"

Alia started to respond, then slumped defeated. "Alright, you win."

"Of course, I always win."

X walked through the door, and Alia smiled despite herself. "Ah, speak of the devil." Noting X's confused look, she shrugged. "It's just an expression."

X nodded, and walked over to her. "I, um, I got you this." He stammered. He held out his hand, and a magnificent glass rose sat inside, delicately reflecting the rooms light. A light green tinted stem slowly rose up in a delicate curve to a wide black rose that shone it's delicate light across the room.

Alia stared at the gift, breathless. "It's beautiful."

X smiled. "I thought you'd like it."

"I do , thanks." Suddenly X's head snapped around, inspecting the area intently. "What's wrong?" Alia asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Something is wrong."

"How do you know?"

"It's hard to describe, it's…have you ever looked at a puzzle, and known a piece was missing." Alia nodded. "It's like that, something is just…off."

Before Alia could respond, Doctor light ran down the hallways, screaming in jubilation. He raced past where everyone was sitting, and doubled back, joy on his face. "We've done it! We've finally done it! When my colleagues hear about this…" Ignoring everyone's confused look, he rushed over to X and hugged him. "You, my boy, are the piece of work that is going to win me the Nobel Prize!" He whooped in joy and raced off to his lab, laughing.

X stared at the now closed door, confused. "What was that all about?"

"I have no idea," Alia replied, "but I intend to find out."

The pair walked into the cramped lab to find piles of papers, schematics, and microscopes lined all over the floor, covering the room in barely ordered chaos. "Excuse the mess, excuse the mess…" Light mumbled, writing a long equation on a white board in front of him.

"What is all this?" Alia asked, tossing aside a series of papers so she could sit down.

"These are the results of the studies I've made since X came to our labs. I've suspected he was special, but I had no idea Wiley's redesign had these capabilities."

"Ok, Light, slow down. What are you talking about?

Light glanced up from his work and sat down opposite them. "Yes, I suppose you of all people require an explanation. It all goes back to my early days of research. When I first got into the creation of reploids I was extremely interested in how evolution might factor into their creation. You see, all beings adapt to whatever surroundings they're in. Birds in a volcanic environment evolve lungs capable of filtering sulfur, fish surrounded by deadly predators learn to swim faster; in truth there are countless examples of how animals and humans evolve. Now, reploids are genetically engineered humans, but they also have a mechanical component. Now all mechanical development is created by nanites, a series of microscopic robots that create and alter their biology, along with occasionally adding mechanical aspects occasionally. Truth be told, it all depends on how the creator chooses to design the blueprint. Now, this all occurs pre-birth. Once a reploid develops its own immune system, the immune system attacks the nanites and they die off. Wiley, Cossack and I always wondered what would happen if those nanites could manage to avoid the immune system, and continue their functions post-birth."

"You're talking about enhanced healing, but that doesn't make any sense." Alia replied. "Hundreds of reploids have their immune system enhanced by nanites, why would you win you a Nobel Prize for that?"

"Because, the healing nanites are not what I'm talking about. There are three types involved in reploid construction. There are the healing nanites which you mentioned, construction nanites, and occasionally aging nanites. The construction nanites create and alter mechanical and biological structures within the body, and aging nanites artificially age the body to the point of puberty. Now, of course we don't want the aging nanites still in the human body, they'd be a massive danger. Why, within a week a reploid would be the equivalent of sixty, then over a hundred, and then dead. The construction nanites, however, could be immensely useful."

"So you found a way to have the construction nanites be ignored by the immune system."

"Yes! Can't you see the brilliance of it?"

"No, actually, I can't. The construction nanites need specific instructions, otherwise they're inert. Why would having inert nanites in the body be a good thing?"

"My dear, what is the most powerful computer in existence?"

Alia paused, thinking. "The Cray 57000 is the most powerful one I know of, but I'm sure it's been surpassed…"

"No, my dear, the most powerful computer on the planet is still, even to this day, the human mind. Wiley has found a way for the mind to interact with the construction nanites in reploids."

Alia fell backwards in shock, and then quickly recovered herself. "Dear god…"

"Um, excuse me…" X said, looking at the two. "But what exactly does this mean?"

Alia turned towards X. "X, all the time the brain is sending information to the body. If someone allowed the construction nanites to interface with the human mind, then they could create the most adaptable warrior on the planet. The nanites could literally redesign his body to adapt to any scenario he was in. It would turn the reploid into the most powerful warrior on the planet."

"Exactly." Light responded. "You X, are that reploid. We originally found you when we assaulted Wiley's territory to recover Rock. We found a genetic blueprint of a new type of reploid, and brought it here. We were hoping that we could turn one of Wiley's designs against him, but we never dreamed we'd create anything like you."

X started to respond, but a loud crashing behind them interrupted him. The pair rushed outside to find a massive man standing over a beaten Roll, a savage grin plastered on his face. Twin gauntlets sat on both arms, each end revealing razor sharp claws. "Who the hell are you?" X said, facing the strange man.

"Name's Slash," He said, dropping Roll. "And she's just the diversion, buttercup, you're the main event."

Slash leapt at X, who barely rolled out of the way. X turned to Alia, who stood behind him, frozen in fear. "Alia, get everyone else and get them out of here." He commanded. Alia paused, and he turned angrily. "Now, move it!" Alia picked roll up and raced away.

Slash wheeled with blinding speed, and slashed across X's chest, opening a massive gash. "First blood." Slash grinned, licking the blood from a razor sharp gauntlet. "Come on."

X dodged Slash's attack, blocking the nearly blinding strikes, and slammed his fist into Slash's stomach. The maverick doubled over and he slammed the back of his foot into Slash's knee. Slash tumbled forward and rolled across the floor, quickly recovering. The pair circled around each other, each one looking for an opening. Finally they crashed together, locked in a deadly series of strikes and blocks. Slash's strength and ferocity started to wear X down, and he was forced to give ground with every step. Finally Slash rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into X's chest. He tumbled end over end, barely managing to keep his footing. A sharp pain erupted in X's chest, and he looked down to find Slash's gauntlet stuck in his chest. Slash growled, and withdrew the weapon. "I win."

X slumped to the ground, barely conscious and Slash chuckled. "You know, I thought you were going to be a challenge. With how much the Black Crane paid me, I thought you'd go at least three rounds. Damn, and I was looking forward to that. Too bad that in the end, you're just another momma's boy!" He shouted. A savage kick swung out, catching X and sending him across the cramped room. Slash walked over to X, and pulled him up by his hair. "Come on, the fun doesn't end here. If you fall asleep, I'll be bored again. I might just have to go in there and amuse myself with your little woman."

"Don't…" X replied, struggling.

"Don't what? Come on, pretty boy, stop me. Show me what you've got." He waited, and then pulled back his fist. "Time's up, look like it's curtain call!" His fist shot forward, but X caught it. Slash grunted with effort, and suddenly yelped in pain as the pressure forced him to his knees. X slowly stood up, and tossed Slash effortlessly away. Slash growled as a green liquid sealed over X's wound, sealing it. "How did you do that?"

"It's called a second wind, look it up." He walked calmly over to a nearby chair where his coat lay and quickly threw it on. He tested his movement in it and grinned. "Nice, very nice."

Slash laughed. "I see, so you want to look good for your funeral."

"Something like that." X replied. The jacket melted around X, quickly reforming into his armor. However, just as the armor slid outwards to form a gauntlet, two wickedly curved blades jutted out on each wrist. He turned towards Slash, the deadly claws shining a deep crimson in the moonlight. "This is your only warning. Leave."

Slash grinned in anticipation. "It's about time, come on." He attacked X, but X dodged nimbly to the side. He continued, constantly leaping, clawing and biting at X, but the hunter always stayed just one step out of reach. Slash snarled. "Are we going to dance or fight?"

"Maybe a little bit of both." X replied. Slash leapt at him, and he spun, slamming his elbow into Slash's jaw. The maverick tumbled, but X stood serenely. "You want to try that again?"

Slash snarled and continued his onslaught, always failing to reach X. He snarled. "How are you doing that?"

"I know how you fight now. You're nothing more then a rabid beast trying to bring in his next kill. Give up, and go home." Slash leapt forward, and X slid down, ducking beneath his opponent. He thrust his new weapons upwards, tearing through Slash's flesh like butter. He rolled to the side, and watched Slash clutching his wounded chest. "Man, that looks like it hurts." He taunted. "You might want to have a doctor take a look at that." Slash leapt forward, forcing X to dodge to the side. "You know, you have serious anger control problems, has any one ever told you that? You come into my home, start trouble, and then get pissed off when I do something as small as cut your chest open. Now that is rude." He caught Slash in another pounce and hurled him through a TV, causing the device to shatter. "And now you break my TV. I hope you realize you're paying for that."

"Shut up!" Slash yelled.

"Or what?" X replied. He caught Slash's claws and mid attack and grappled with him, trying to force him back. "Or you'll attack another helpless girl. Look around you, there's no one else here. Just you, me, and the floor." Slash paused, and X threw an uppercut, landing the blow directly under Slash's jaw. He flew upwards, and crashed against a nearby table. "When you fight your enemy, hit him with the biggest weapon you can find: the ground."

Slash staggered upwards, blood trailing from the side of his mouth. "I'm impressed. I never thought I'd find the man who could beat me. Only the strong deserve to live, the weak can only live as servants." He said, coughing.

"Please, tell me you don't believe that crap."

"I do. All of life is nothing more then natural selection. The strong will always prey on the weak." He pulled a shard of glass from his back, and collapsed to the ground. "Looks like I'm just not fit enough to…"

X walked over and backhanded Slash, sending him slumping to the ground. "Shut up." He stood over the maverick, making sure he was unconscious, and pulled out a cell phone. "Alia, it's X."

"My god, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I think."

"Roll's fine, doctor said she only had a minor concussion."

"Good. Slash is incapacitated, what are we going to do with him?"

"Is he…?"

"He lives to tell the tale."

"I'll send a team over to collect him and send him to the Island."

"The Island?"

"It's the maverick prison. I'll tell you all about it later."

"Alright."

"I will. Good work."

"Thanks." X hung up and examined the now devastated room with dismay. "Man, everyone's going to kill me."

X stood on the roof of a massive building, looking wordlessly at the streets below him. The full moon shone directly behind him, bathing the silent sentinel in a gentle silver light. His jacket flew outwards in the gentle breeze, and he breathed in slowly, relishing the scent of the night air. "Enjoying the night air?" A voice behind him said. X turned and saw Gabriel walking towards him. "I would have thought you'd be with your friends at the hospital."

X shook his head. "Alia can take care of Rock. I just needed to think."

"Really, what about.?"

"Everything, especially what you told me." He sighed as he surveyed the city. "I couldn't even stop Roll from being hurt, how am I supposed to save the world?"

"No one can save the world. You can't save everyone, and you'll end up killing yourself if you try."

"Then what is it I'm supposed to do?" X said, kneeling down. "You want me to be some form of symbol, the Hunters want me to be some sort of super-soldier, and I have no idea how to be either."

"Then don't be. Be who you are, not who someone wants you to be. Do the best you can, no one can ever ask any more of you."

"But what if I fail?"

"Then you fail. There will always be a chance of that no matter what you try to do. But you don't have to win every battle X. You just have to fight, and always keep your cause in mind."

"Peace." X said in acknowledgement.

"And justice." Gabriel replied. A scream echoed in the distance, and Gabriel smiled. "It looks like they're playing your song." X turned to leave, but Gabriel held hand up, stopping him. "Take this." He said, handing X his fedora. "Hopefully it brings you the same luck it's brought me over the years." X nodded, and leapt over the railing, using the narrow fire escape to lower him to the ground. Gabriel watched his young student rush off into the night, a smile on his face. "Go get 'em, kid."


	2. Tiger and Crane

Tiger and Crane

A Rockman X short story

Chapter 2 of the Gathering cycle

"_Mankind has reduced everything in their world down to a science. They have taken the wonder from the majestic sunrise, the stars in the sky, even the birth of a new child has been reduced to a meaningless series of equations. Yet even in the midst of all of this, there is one form of magic that can change everything we base our lives around."_

"_Forgiveness."_

Gabriel.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to be here in the great state of Illinois." A man said, beaming down at the crowd. An expensive three piece suit hung off his slender frame, and he sported a conservative crew cut as he waved at the assembled crowd. Friendly brown eyes conveyed an air of trust, and he spoke with a kind voice, but one that rung with authority. "It is a true testament to the American spirit that a state that suffered so much hardship still comes together and forms the same bonds of friendship and family that make this nation great." A massive roar of applause erupted at this statement, and the man held his hands out and nodded modestly. "But I haven't come here simply to bask in your hospitality; I've come for your support. My name is James Wilson, and I am officially announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America."

He paced back and forth on the makeshift stage, looking out at the assembled crowd. "Like many of you, I am tired of the rampant attacks that plague your nation's youth. I am tired of low grade schools that spend more money on metal detectors and security then on books. I am tired of foreign interference in our nation's proud heritage. With the help of everyone gathered here, I hope to change all that. I will make it so our children can walk down the streets at night without wondering if they're going to be robbed, beaten, or raped by some thug with a gun. I will cut useless government spending, and I will replace the guns of our nation's youth with textbooks. I will do all of this for you, but I need your help. I need the help of everyone here in order to accomplish my dream, and the dreams of everyone here."

The crowd burst into applause, and a reporter raised his recorder eagerly. "Sir, I have a question for you?" Wilson pointed towards the man, and he stood up. "Peter Brock from the Chicago Herald. In your history in the Senate, you have voted unerringly for every bill regarding Reploid rights. The attacks the youth on our nation are primarily committed by Reploids who call themselves Mavericks. Has your stance changed or do you still favor bills in favor of civil rights for Reploids."

"Mr. Brock, I'm glad you asked that question. The senseless violence that targets our nation is the result of a terrorist organization, not of a race. I believe that Reploids help make our nation the great country it is, and my stance has never, and will never change. Next question please."

"I like this guy." X said, watching Wilson answer the nonstop array of question. The pair lurked in the back of the crowd, watching them swarm over the man as he eagerly shook hands and waved happily at the crowd. X adjusted his sunglasses, and straightened his tie for the fifth time in as many minutes.

Alia scoffed. "He's a politician. He's just telling the crowd what they want to hear so they'll vote for him. I am surprised by the reploid statement though." She stared at X, amused. "Why do you keep fidgeting?"

"I hate these clothes." The pair were clad in dark black suits, identical to the dozens of secret service agents moving around the convention. "Who the hell designed these, I can barely move in them."

"We need to blend in; two heavily armed people in street clothes might attract some attention."

"Why are we here again?"

"The secret service received a note that Wilson was the target of a Maverick group. The Secret Service asked for Hunter assistance, and we drew the short straw."

"So they decided to dress up in these monkey suits because of what could be an idle threat?"

"Pretty much."

"Great. So what do we do, just follow this guy around and make sure no one kills him?"

"Yeah, until the election's over."

"How long is that?"

"Six months."

"It could be worse."

"Really, how?"

"Free food, a limo ride everywhere we go, plush accommodations, we've got it made for 6 months."

"Grand. Here he comes by the way." Alia noted as Wilson sauntered over to the group, shaking hands all the way. He looked at the pair and beamed.

"Ah, you two must be who Hunter central command sent to deal with my little problem. James Wilson, it's an honor to meet the two of you."

Alia nodded. "My name's Alia, Mr. Senator, and that's X."

"Please, call me James, after all we're all working together, no reason we can't be friends." He replied, beaming at the two. "So what did you two think of my speech?"

"Very nice, can we move this along? I don't think talking about your problems in front of the press is a wise move."

"I don't hide anything from the American people."

"Mr. Senator, my concern is for your life. The press always tends to complicate matters like these."

"Of course, you're right. I defer to your expertise in these matters. We can further discuss matters in my limo." The trio entered the plush vehicle, and Wilson made himself comfortable. "So, can I count on you two for support?" He said, looking at the pair of them.

"Sorry." X replied, shrugging. "I'm not a citizen."

"You're a reploid, right?"

"Yes."

"What lab was responsible for your birth?"

"Light Labs."

"Then you're lucky, because Light Labs has offices in both Japan and the United States, you can apply for dual citizenship." He turned towards Alia. "How about you?"

"I don't vote."

"Really, why not."

"Honestly?" When Wilson nodded, she scowled. "I don't like politicians. Nothing personal, but you're all a bunch of lying, cheating scumbags."

Wilson smiled uncertainly. "Now how could I take that personally?" He reached for a collection of folders, and handed them to X. "I suppose you two would like to get straight to work?"

"That would be preferred, Mr. Senator."

"Alright, about three weeks ago I received a threat from a group calling themselves the Children of God. They stated some garbage about how God decided I should die, and vanished. I had the NSA look into the threats, but they came up with nothing."

"How did you receive the messages?"

"Through the mail; the letter's in your file."

X took the letter and scowled. "A series of magazine letters pasted onto a sheet of construction paper? Someone's been watching too many movies. Did they find any prints or DNA?"

"No, nothing."

"Well, so we know…absolutely nothing. Great."

"Trust me; I have the utmost faith in your ability to handle this." The car drove up to an intimidating black building, Security guards patrolled around the back of it, and a sign that said Martek's Rubber Molds on the outside announced its owner. X stared in confusion as the car drove up and Wilson smiled. "We're here."

A guard walked up and held a small metal canister inside the door. "Good morning sir."

"Good morning." Wilson put his hand on the box, and glowed bright blue. The box stayed inert for a second, then instantly turned green. "I trust you're expecting my friends." The guard nodded, and the car pulled forward into a small parking lot.

Alia turned to Wilson, confused. "I thought we were going to your hotel."

"I'm sorry, that was a little ruse. We needed to keep up appearances while we were in public."

"So the note is a fake?"

"Exactly. You see, it would make our security forces look bad if we were to bring in outside help on internal matters, so we had to hide the two of you coming over by creating a fake maverick organization. What we really need your help with is something far more important."

"Let me out." Alia said, opening the door.

"I'm sorry?"

"You lied to us. I have no idea what kind of covert mission you want us on, but you brought us here under false pretenses. I'm not playing along with your little game, let me out."

"Listen, you can't begin to imagine how important this is."

"Whatever it is, you can do it without us."

"Fifteen hundred people died because of this woman!" Wilson shouted angrily. He calmed himself and sighed. "Listen, I can't go into details here, but we really do need your help. We didn't give your headquarters this information because if she knows we're tracking her, she could disappear, or worse, get more violent."

"You've mentioned the word she a few times. Who are you talking about?"

A door opened spilling light into the room. "We'll be able to tell you everything, just trust me."

X got up and headed towards the door. Alia glared at him, and he shrugged. "He needs our help."

Alia sighed in frustration. "We better not regret this."

Wilson grinned warmly. "Trust me, you won't." The trio walked towards the door, and a small Asian woman came up to them, scowling. A large hand gun sat on her hip, and hazel eyes glared suspiciously at the two of them. "X and Alia, this is agent Ronko of the NSA. Ronko, this is X and Alia of the Hunters."

She shook both of their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard good things."

Alia looked towards Wilson, confused. "I thought the NSA was just responsible for the communications security of the US?"

"Ten years ago you would have been correct, but unfortunately the Chicago incident changed all that. Since Chicago was destroyed in a nuclear attack, Congress has consolidated all security under the NSA. We control all intelligence and security information for the United States." She looked towards Wilson. "Have you briefed them yet?"

"I decided it would be better if we do that privately."

Ronko nodded, and motioned for the group to follow her. The hallways were clad in a metallic coating that left a sterile and business like feel to the building. The corridors twisted and turned in unexpected ways, and new staircases and hallways jutted out at every few feet, turning the building into a massive labyrinth. Alia stared at her surroundings, mystified. "I'm trapped in an Escher painting." She mumbled

Ronko smiled. "You're not the first person to say that, Miss Cain."

"Alia, please."

"Of course. We designed this building so that if someone didn't know the area, they would get hopelessly lost. We like to keep our enemies confused."

"Good job." Alia replied. The group finally walked to a small conference room, and sat down, all eyes turning towards Ronko. "So, what's with all the cloak and dagger crap?"

"We asked you here to investigate an assassin whose been plaguing us for the past ten years. She goes under the name the Black Crane."

"You're joking. You want us to find and capture the Black Crane?"

X raised his hand, interrupting them. "I'm sorry, maybe I'm a little behind, but whose the Black Crane."

"She is quite possibly the world's greatest assassin." Ronko said, taking a seat. "In six years she has created a staggering body count consisting of some of the world's richest and most powerful men. She has been attributed to over fifteen hundred deaths worldwide, most of them innocent bystanders."

X whistled softly. "How much do we know about her?"

"We know very little. For a while, we weren't even certain they were done by the same person, except for one calling card. At the scene of every murder, she leaves a small, black origami crane. Forensic evidence tells us she's a reploid, female, in her late teens, perhaps early twenties, around five feet, ten inches, and Caucasian."

"Eyewitness accounts?"

"One. She recently assassinated the Japanese ambassador, and one of agents managed to engage her and get away alive. He confirmed the eyewitness evidence, along with the fact that she has the tattoo of a black dragon on her lower back. She also wears a black silk mask that covers her face."

"Is there any visible patterns to her attacks?"

"None whatsoever. The bitch is cocky too; she sends her target a note through the post, not only stating when he's going to die, but how."

"She does all this, and you still can't catch her."

"We've tried, but she's slipped past us every single time. We've tried electronic surveillance, guards, security systems, nothing manages to work."

Alia leaned back in her chair, and scowled. "Mr. Senator, I think I speak for both of us when I say…"

"I'll do it." X interrupted. Alia turned to X in anger, and he whispered. "They need our help and it's in our jurisdiction. Besides, the United States hates the Hunters. If we take down this assassin…"

"Then it could help us out." Alia mused. She turned to Senator Wilson, a sly grin on her face. "We'll do it, but we have a few conditions. We'll be needing room and board."

"Of course, the local Motel six has already been informed that you will be staying there."

"I was actually thinking the Four Seasons."

"Miss Cain, you must understand the fact that we're on a budget here."

"Oh I do, believe me, but I also understand that you've been after this woman for quite a while, and you're desperate. That means we get the expensive hotel. Furthermore, we're going to need a full compliment of weapons available to us at the hotel room, along with any and all files, confidential or not, related to the Black Crane."

"I see." Senator Wilson said "I suppose we could do all this, will there be anything else you need?"

"Yeah, how about a verse of Killing Me Softly?" Alia replied, smirking. She stood up and left the room, not bothering to look back at the Senator. "Just make sure everything's ready."

The pair exited the NSA complex without speaking and finally sat down at an outside café. The brilliant sunlight spilled from the sky and gently lay on the pair as they finally relaxed. Alia seemed to bask in the sunlight, and the gentle spring weather seemed to illuminate her hair, making it shine like spun gold. She turned towards X, an amused look on her face. "What?"

"You look beautiful." X said, gently holding her hands gently.

Alia laughed. "Thanks." She smiled and kissed X gently. The two stood locked in the embrace, and finally parted. "This doesn't get you out of trouble." Noting X's confused look, she grinned. "You still made me deal with politicians."

X laughed. "I'm sorry." He said jokingly.

"Well I guess it wasn't too bad, I'll have to punish you in private."

"Oh really, and what exactly do you plan on doing to me?"

Alia grinned coyly. "I can think of a few things."

X laughed awkwardly, and picked up a menu, quickly perusing through it. "So we should probably talk about the mission."

"If we have to. So do you honestly think we'll be able to catch the Black Crane?"

"Of course."

"So you think that you'll be able to track down and capture a world class assassin that no one's been able to even confirm exists?"

"Definitely."

"And what makes you so certain that you'll be able to do this?"

"I'm just that good." X replied, grinning. Alia laughed affectionately and he shrugged. "Everything has a pattern; we'll just need to find out what her pattern is and how to exploit it."

"Ok, Sherlock, whatever you say." Alia replied. Suddenly she sat bolt upright. "Oh my god…"

"What?" X replied, moving for the pistol on his waist.

"Relax, it's not a maverick, it's Rey!" Alia said, bolting up excitedly. She walked over to a tall woman and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Rey!"

"Buzz off." The woman said, glaring for a dark pair of shades. She adjusted herself in her seat revealing a black serpentine figure on the small of her back. X paused and frowned at the figure, and she scowled. "What's your deal, it's called a tattoo."

Alia looked at X, confused, and turned towards Rey. "No. Rey, it's me, Alia."

"Oh my god." She suddenly jumped to her feet and hugged Alia. "How are you? How long has it been?"

"Close to 5 years now." Alia said, sitting down opposite Rey.

X inspected the woman as he sat down, and the breath caught in his throat. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Dark brown eyes glanced at X and she ran her tongue absently over her cherry red lips. Skin like ivory shone in the afternoon sun and a small bead of sweat trickled from her forehead and slowly flowed from her neck and down into her shirt. Long black hair cascaded about halfway down her back and metallic purple streaks stretched elegantly downward. A black leather trench coat nearly concealed an ample figure and a leather skirt stopped just at her knees, revealing slender and muscular legs. She watched X's inspection with an amused air, and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "So I finally see my little sister after all these years." She said, relaxing in her chair. "I see that you finally managed to find yourself a guy. It's about time, for a second I thought you were going another way entirely." She extended her hand, and a leather glove extended all the way to her elbow. "Rey Cain." She said, her eyes boring into X's.

"X." X replied simply, shaking her hand.

"Interesting, is that short for something?"

"It is."

"And what would that be?"

X calmly took a sip of coffee. "That would be classified."

Rey laughed. "A man with secrets. Definitely something I could get behind."

"Sorry, I'm with someone."

"So I can see. You know, I used to steal quite a few of Alia's boyfriends away from her when we were going to school."

"Really?" X replied, uninterested.

"Yes, really. From what I can see, it might be a habit worth picking back up."

"Well," X said, turning back to his coffee, "You're more then welcome to try, but I doubt you'll get anywhere."

Rey grinned coyly. "Half the fun is in the chase. I'll just have to see where the night leads.

Alia cleared her throat, drawing Rey's attention back to her. "So," She said, staring angrily at Rey. She forced a smile. "What have you been up to?"

"Not a lot. I got a job right after I moved out. It's great, lot's of travelling, great pay, the works."

"Are you in law enforcement?" X said, leaning back.

"No, I'm a consultant. Why do you ask?"

"You're packing." X said, pointing to her coat. "P270, with a modified chamber and what appears to be a silencing attachment. If memory serves, that's illegal in the states."

Rey turned to X, smiling slightly. "You know your guns."

"I'm a man of many talents."

"And seemingly endless curiosity. If you must know, I bought this in China when I was down there."

"Interesting, must be where you got the tattoo as well. A black snake is the Chinese symbol for vitality, right?"

"First of all, it's not a snake, it's a dragon. Second of all I have no idea what it stands for; I just thought it looked cool."

"Sorry, my mistake."

"You're an awfully inquisitive guy."

"Just a little curious."

"You know what they say about curiousity."

"Yeah, well I'm not feline, so I'm safe."

"Do all curious people carry forty five's?"

X shrugged. "It's a dangerous world."

Rey seemed for a second to glare at him, but the look rapidly disappeared. "You have no idea."

Alia sighed, annoyed. "Wow, I can't believe I waited five years for my boyfriend and my sister to interrogate each other. It's better then Disney land."

X turned towards Alia, "Wait, I'm your…?"

"No big deal, Alia, I'm sure your new flame is just being protective of you."

X laughed. "That's it exactly, you've caught me."

Alia rolled her eyes. "So, what are you doing in Illinois?"

"Working, I have to oversee a couple of delicate projects. You know, contract disputes, terminations, that kind of thing."

"Sounds like fun." Alia replied sarcastically.

"It's miserable, long hours, annoying people, the works, but that's why I get to charge so much." Rey replied, standing up. "Well I hate to run, but I have some things to do. You want to catch dinner tomorrow and catch up?"

"Definitely."

"Great, I'll call you tomorrow."

Rey walked away, and X watched her suspiciously. She seemed to move with a strange, fluid grace, and always kept a free hand near her weapon. He caught Alia glaring at him and turned. "What?" He asked innocently.

"Why were you staring at her?"

"I don't trust her." X replied bluntly.

"Ah, so you staring at her chest was your natural suspicion."

"I didn't…Wait, why am I in trouble?"

"You were checking her out!"

"No I wasn't."

"Oh please, you were definitely flirting with her."

"No, she was flirting with me. I was turning her down."

"Oh really?"

"Yes!" X protested. "Look, I think she's dangerous."

"And this is your expert assessment of talking to her for roughly five minutes?"

"Look it's hard to explain. She just…rubs me the wrong way."

"I really don't think she should be rubbing you any way."

"You know what I mean!"

"Look, Rey is a little rough around the edges, but she's a good person."

"If you say so. Have you noticed that she has the same tattoo that Ronko said the Black Crane had?"

"Ok, the same could be said of thousands of different people. That's not exactly damning evidence."

"Maybe." X replied, thinking.

"Look, we've got the room reservations, let's just go and grab some sleep."

"Go ahead, I'll catch up later." X replied, frowning. "I've got some work to do."

The inside of the police department was barely ordered chaos; a never ending series of phones ringing off the hook constantly and officers moving struggling criminals up and down the halls. A man walking down the halls sniffed in disdain at the display, and quickly straightened his jacket. He inspected himself in the mirror, quickly fixing his hair. He stood tall, nearly six feet, and had a very well muscled frame. Coffee-colored skin framed his body, and a hard jaw and piercing eyes stared back at him from the mirror. A simple brown suit and tie hung ill fit off his frame, and he walked forward confidently to the receptionist. "Excuse me." He said simply, instantly catching her attention. "I'm looking for Captain Stykes."

"Yeah?" The woman replied rudely. "And who exactly are you?"

"I'm his brother." The man said, showing an ID and badge. "Names Jonathan Stykes. Detective Jonathan Stykes, LAPD. Now, can you please tell me where he is?"

"Down the hall and to the left."

Stykes nodded and walked off in the direction indicated. He came to a door with his brother's name, and entered to find him surrounded by a massive pile of disorganized papers, hanging his head in frustration. "You know, it might help if you actually read a few of those." John said, grinning.

His brother looked up in anger, and suddenly laughed. "Still getting on everybody's nerves I see."

"Well ya know, it works for me." John said, leaning back against a chair. "How are you, Bobby?"

"Good. I was afraid you couldn't make it."

"Pft, please, and miss my little brother's wedding? Now where is the bride to be, I want to see if I can manage to steal her away from you in three days. It'd be a new record for us and everything."

His brother laughed. "Yeah, yeah, not this one Johnny. Beth's out making preparations for the wedding."

"Ah, I'm glad I didn't arrive earlier then, I can't stand any of that romantic crap."

Bobby laughed. "And yet some lucky woman hasn't snapped you up yet, how absolutely amazing."

"Hey, I'll have you know I have a very active social life."

"Really? How many of those girls have you dated for more then a week?"

John paused, thinking. Finally he shrugged. "Man, you know I'm not the one woman type."

"Yeah, whatever. How's work?"

"The usual. I have no idea why every asshole in the country decided to set up shop in LA."

"Believe me; we have our fair share here. Any interesting cases?"

"Just the one, the same one I've been working on for the last three years."

"The Black Crane again?" When John nodded, Bobby shook his head in frustration. "Man you have got to let that crap go and let the feds handle it."

"She killed three cops and almost killed me. How am I supposed to let that go?"

"You know, Ahab had a similar fascination."

"Yeah, well she's not a giant white whale so I'm safe."

"You know what I mean."

"Look, let's not talk about work alright? Let's just talk about exactly how many strippers you want at your bachelor party."

"No, no, no. Nothing like that, just keep it simple."

"Yeah, you say that now but later…" A high pitched ringing interrupted him, and Stykes reached down and picked up his cell phone. "Detective Stykes here, who is this?"

"You're the man who survived the encounter with the Black Crane, correct?" A man said quietly.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"My name's X. Listen, this is very important, I need you to step into the alley behind the police department in ten minutes."

"Yeah, right and why exactly would I do this?"

"Because I'm going to bring in the Black Crane."

John paused. "That's a pretty damn good reason."

"I need your help though. Bring me everything you have on her dating back in the past five years. Plus, I need you to run a background check for me."

"If you're going after the Black Crane, I'd imagine you'd be able to do your own background checks."

"She didn't show up on the federal checks, I'm hoping she'd show up on the local."

"What's the name?"

"Rey Cain."

"Look, pal, you're asking me to bring you confidential police information, plus invade a citizen's privacy. That's a pretty tall order, besides I'm off duty. In case you weren't aware, I'm here for my brother's wedding."

"I understand, and I sympathize. But we do have a common enemy. You can either help me, and make the bust of your life, or you can go to your brother's wedding knowing that the Black Crane will kill again. The decision's up to you."

The man hung up, and John cursed. Bobby looked up, concerned. "What's wrong John?"

"Nothing. I need to borrow your computer to print up a few records."

"Why?"

"Seems work found me again." Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but John help up a hand, stopping him. "I know what you're about to say, but I just found a new lead that I need to look into. If this doesn't pan out, you have my word I'll leave the Black Crane case to the feds."

"Fine." Bobby sighed. "Use whatever you need.

Stykes walked out of the police station quickly, files in hand. He turned into the alley to find X standing there waiting. "This better be important."

"It is."

"So what's with the cloak and dagger crap?"

"I've heard that local law enforcement doesn't like unsolicited aid from the Hunters."

"You're a Hunter?" Stykes asked. When X nodded, Stykes grinned. "I knew she was a reploid! But why did you need my help? The feds have probably given you access to their entire database."

"They have, I spent all day yesterday going over their files. Problem is, there were holes in their information, almost as if someone deliberately left out information. I saw your name mentioned as one of the officers whose been trying to track her down, but none of your reports."

"Wait a minute; I've been submitting at least two reports on her movements a month for the past three years. There's no way they don't have my information, unless…"

"Unless she has a man on the inside." X replied. "The same thought occurred to me." X looked through the files, visibly impressed. "This is impressive; I thought the feds said she didn't have a pattern."

"That's bull; she does every attack the exact same way. Well not exactly. See, the Black Crane has a number of methods, but she always sticks to one principal." X looked up at him questioningly and he continued. "Theatrics. She always does it in a way where everybody instantly knows that the targets dead, and that she was the one who did it. Even sticks around to gloat occasionally. She also uses some strange methods, flash bang grenades, smoke pellets, hell I've even seen her using those weird spinning blade things a few times."

"Shuriken."

"Yeah, them. No professional uses those tricks. That's the weird thing, it's almost like she's stuck in some bad action flick. Furthermore, she's nearly impossible to track. I've managed to run after her three times, and she always vanishes into thin air. No trail, nothing."

"Ninja." X said simply.

"Pardon?"

"In medieval Japan there was a secret society of assassins that called themselves ninja. They were known for being able to sneak in completely unseen, take out their target, and leave without being detected. Furthermore they used similar methods, like the smoke bombs, to sneak out. They were all taught the art of theatrics, so that they would be considered demons by the samurai who chased them."

"Ok, where are you going with this?"

"Does she always work alone?"

"Now that you mention it, she has occasionally had a few flunkies helping her out, why?"

"You're going to think I'm insane, but I think someone's trying to bring them back into the modern age."

"You're insane."

"It fits. I think the Black Crane's just a…prototype for want of a better word. Think about it, if they had five other assassins who were active and half as skilled as the Black Crane with the same sense of theatrics out there…"

"Then who knows what kind of damage they'd cause." Stykes mused. "Alright, let's say I believed you, what would be the purpose of a group like this?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." X replied. "What about the background check?"

"Oh yeah. It came back with a few things when she was a kid, ranging from petty stuff like shoplifting to a couple cases of grand theft auto. Girl was quite the troublemaker, and it's a shame too, she was supposed to be a shoe in for the US gymnastics team for the Olympics."

"Not exactly what I'm looking for, anything else?"

"Yeah, here's where it get's weird. She's wanted for questioning regarding the 15th street incident a few years back."

"What's that?"

"About seven years back a few idiot frat boys decided to rape one of the Co-Eds at the University of California by the name of Ophelia Cain. Problem is, the girl was a bit stronger then her attackers anticipated and tore the three apart with her bare hands. Local law enforcement flipped out, and sent out a team to bring her in, and authorized the use of the LASH."

"LASH?"

"The most evil weapon ever created on god's green earth." Stykes whispered. "It's a small cylinder with two barbs that sink into the human skin. Once there, they stimulate every nerve in the body to emit constant pain messages to the brain. I've only seen it used once. We used it on some guy who was strung out on PCP for a few seconds, and the guy screamed in absolute agony for hours. It gave all the men there nightmares. According to the reports, four men, each armed with a LASH, attacked her with it for hours before she finally passed out. Rey was there, and watched every second of it." Stykes shook his head sadly. "Poor girl went nuts after that, she distanced herself from everyone, and even beat one of her close friends nearly to death for even mentioning it. When the police came to bring her in for it, she disappeared completely. No one's heard from her since."

X looked up, surprised. "No one?"

"No, why?"

"Records of employment, tax returns, do you have any of them?"

"No, nothing."

"Why would she lie?" X whispered. "She was supposed to be working as a business consultant."

"Yeah? If she has, it's not been within the country."

"Listen, you've seen the Black Crane, right."

"Of course."

"Describe her to me."

"She's tall, about five foot ten, brown eyes, black hair, but with some odd purple streaks, and a tattoo of a black dragon…"

"On the small of her back." X finished. "Dammit."

"What?"

"I know who the Black Crane is."

"Are you serious?"

"I am. Listen, put out an APB for Rey Cain. If you find her, do not engage. Do you understand me?"

"Why the hell wouldn't we, I've been after the Black Crane for three years!"

"Because if she's cornered she'll either strike out, killing whoever's following her, or go deeper underground and we'll never find her. If you see Rey, call me, tell me where she is, then leave town immediately."

"You better be right about this."

"I am, trust me."

Stykes sighed. "I guess I don't have a whole lot choice. Alright, good luck."

X grinned. "Don't you mean good hunting?"

Night fell slowly over the crowded city, blanketing it in a perfect blanket of blackness. Stars shone gently in the night sky, providing the only light in the night sky. A scattered assembly of street light illuminated the nearly barren streets, illuminating their only traveler in a dim light. Rey turned and looked around suspiciously and continued her track down the city streets. Far above her, X stared down at her, watching silently from the building above. He followed her quick pace easily, jumping from building to building, always clinging to the shadows. He stalked her silently, edging closer and closer to the lone woman. Finally she turned into a small warehouse, closing it's massive sliding door behind here. X easily leapt the distance between them, rapidly vaulting onto the building's ceiling. He slowly opened the small compartment on the ceiling, and lowered himself into the building. He ducked behind a crowd of boxes, and saw a group of slender, well muscled men, each tattooed with a long snake from the top of their head trailing down to their left forearm. When Rey came within sight of the men, each one bowed low, arms trailing forward in supplication. "Our lives to the master." They chanted. "He gives us power, He gives us life, he gives us all."

Rey watched in silence as the pair repeated the chant three times, and nodded in approval. "Rise." The three rose in silence, and she inspected each in turn. "Who are you three?"

"We are the apprentices sent to serve you, Servant to the Master. We are prepared to give our lives in service to you."

"Good, what have you already done?"

"We have trailed the man, Stykes, for you my lady. He trailed you from LA in hopes of capturing you."

"That fool couldn't catch a cold. What else?"

"Our agents are already in position in the NSA. We are prepared to take out their leaders whenever you give the word."

"No, I want to take care of them myself."

"Why?" One of the men asked. Rey turned towards him, and he immediately fell to his knees. "Forgive my impertinence my lady, but it would be easiest for us to just take them out ourselves then for you to track their leaders down and kill them individually."

"If you kill Ronko, they'll send another after her to track me down. If I kill each of their leaders personally, then the NSA will know never to interfere with Order business ever again."

"Yes, of course my lady." The man said, face to the ground. "What is it you wish us to do?"

"Kill Stykes. He's irrelevant to my plans, and he proves annoying."

"Consider it done."

"One more thing, has Noir sent word?"

"Yes, my lady, he has."

"And what of the reward he's promised me?"

"Our lord says that she's intact and ready to be released when he deems your service sufficient."

Rey scowled. "Would he find the blood of the Hunters' new weapon sufficient?"

"He has ordered you to kill the man, and wonders why you sent another to do the task."

"Slash was a fool, but he was a useful fool. He gave me much needed information about this X. When I face him, he will not survive."

"Yes, my lady."

She turned to leave, and paused. "Do not forget, Stykes dies before midnight tonight."

"Of course my lady, we live to serve." Rey left, and the three turned to gather their things, when suddenly X leapt from his hiding place. He moved swiftly between targets, breaking two of the three's windpipes before they could react. The third suddenly reached for a massive knife, and X grabbed his arm, easily snapping the bone in half. The man yelped in pain and fell to his knees. "Who… who are you and how dare you interrupt the work of the Order. My lord will have your head for this! He will…"

"Not interested. Who do you and the Black Crane work for?"

"What?"

"Come on, do you thing I'm stupid? Someone's pulling the strings, now who is it?"

"I will tell you nothing!" The man spat angrily.

X knelt down in front of the man, fire brewing behind his eyes. "I hate to use such a cliché, but we can do this the way easy way or the hard way."

"If I tell you anything, they'll kill me!"

X nodded silently. "Yeah, you're probably right." He walked over, and picked up the knife the man dropped. He twirled it around absently, apparently lost in thought. "Look, Snake… can I call you snake?"

"My name is…"

"Not really worried about that. You see, I'm not a bad guy. I just want to go home to my girlfriend…wow that sounds so weird saying. You have a girlfriend, Snake?"

"Uh…"

"You should probably get one, of course that tattoo probably won't help you out too much. Now, if you tell me what I need to know, then you can go home, and maybe find yourself a good girl."

The man stared at him nervously. "You're going to torture me, aren't you?"

"Oh, of course I'm not going to hurt you, Snake." X said jovially, smacking him lightly with the knife. "I just want to know a few basic things."

"And if I don't tell you?"

"Well then, things are about to get a whole lot more…interesting." X said a dangerous edge present in his voice.

"What do you want to know?"

"That's the spirit, Snake."

"I told you, that's not my name. My name is…"

"Don't really care. See here's the thing; I want to know who you work for?"

"He's called Noir."

"Alright, tell me about him."

"He leads the Order with an iron fist. Every year he converts dozens from the ranks of the Longshou, and teaches them the art of the shadows."

"Back up, you mentioned a group called the Longshou, Who are they?"

"A group of warrior monks. They teach the way of Sifu and The Path, and train any newcomers who manage to pass the trails in their ways."

"And Noir recruits from this group?"

"Yes. The Longshou teach patience, virtue, and sacrifice of the self above all else. I joined them myself when I turned fourteen."

"What happened?"

"The Longshou trained me endlessly. They made me spend hours in the ways of the blade. I trained until I knew every inch of a blade, every kata, and was more skilled then any ten normal warriors."

"But you left."

"Yes. The Longshou taught temperance, self sacrifice, and meditation. Instead of using my abilities, I spent my days in a temple sweeping the floors and meditating."

"I take it that didn't sit well with you."

"One day a servant of Noir came to me. He offered me unequaled power, in exchange for service. He told me I would have everything I ever desired. I left the monastery, and showed my skills to the Order. Noir came to me himself one day, and told me that he himself trained with the Longshou, and know their hypocrisy. He said that once he achieves his goal, those who seek paltry enlightenment would be swept aside by the strong."

"What is it exactly that Noir wants?"

"To be a god." The man stated flatly

X laughed. "You're joking, right?" He paused, judging the man's reaction. "Ok, you're not joking. How exactly does he plan on accomplishing this?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that one day Noir will call a gathering and all of Noir's servants will gather where he summons us, and that is the day Noir will ascend."

"Great." X turned to leave, and the man stopped him. "What?"

"Why is it you're asking about Noir, you should be more concerned about the Black Crane."

"She doesn't concern me, someone leading a network of assassins does."

"She should concern you. She is the most skilled of Noir's servants. No one who has met her in battle, or she has marked for death has survived. You should run."

"Thanks for the sudden and unexpected concern, but I have her number. Why are you concerned anyway?"

"You have reminded me of the path I took with the Longshou. I have fell from their path, and become tainted by evil. If you let me survive, I hope to rejoin their order."

A slight movement caught X's eye, and he saw a glint of steel behind the man's back. "Huh." X replied simply. He suddenly turned and backhanded the man, sending him sprawling and unconscious across the room. "Sorry, Snake." X said, as he left. "But I really don't trust the repentant assassin routine from someone reaching for a knife."

X left and walked calmly back to the hotel room. A familiar face reading the newspaper looked up at him and beamed. "Well hello there, fancy meeting you in a place like this. Do you mind if I get a light?"

"Gabriel." X said in greeting, and continued to walk past the man. He passed him and continued walking, not bothering to thing about the strange man. Suddenly Gabriel appeared directly in front of him. "How did you…" X stammered, looking back at the vacant park bench.

"It's not nice to ignore an old friend, now is it?" Gabriel replied.

"You're not an old friend, you're just some insane man who came to Light labs out of the middle of nowhere."

"I'm insulted, I am perfectly sane." Gabriel replied. After a few seconds, he shrugged. "Well, as sane as can be expected of course. Do you have a few moments?"

"I guess."

"Splendid." The pair sat down outside a small coffee house, and Gabriel waved over a waitress. "Two coffees please." The waitress moved on, on Gabriel leaned back, a delighted look on his face. "Well. Well, well, well."

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm simply enjoying the ambiance of such a delightful café. It's not quite what I'm used to though. Have you ever been to Paris? Delightful city, they have the most marvelous…"

"I assume you came here to talk about something more important then travel."

"You are quite right, of course. Tell me, have you read that book I've given you?"

"Yes, a bit of it."

"Ah, excellent, simply excellent, and tell me what exactly did you think of it?"

"It didn't make any sense. The entire book was filled with nonsensical riddles, and the parts that made sense conflicted with other parts of the book.

"Excellent, I'm glad you understand."

"Understand what?"

"Well now, that would spoil the mystery now, wouldn't it?"

"Ok, I've had enough of this." X replied, standing up. "I don't know why you're here, but for some reason you've given me a book that makes no sense, and keep speaking in strange riddles to me. I've got things to do."

Gabriel watched him silently as he walked away, and as he reached for the building doorknob he sighed. "If you leave this restaurant, you will die." He said quietly.

X turned. "Is that a threat?"

"You must understand, I mean you no harm at all. In truth, I am trying to help you."

"Trying to help me with what, exactly?"

"I can't tell you; you're not ready."

"Ok, fine. Let's start with what you just said. How am I going to die if I leave?"

"A threat lurks in your hotel room, waiting for you. I've taken the liberty of…moving Alia for you, but you must make your own decisions."

"What kind of threat?"

"I'm sorry, I've said too much already."

"Now just wait a damn minute! You tell me I'm going to die and then don't tell me anything! What kind of game are you playing?"

"I'm sorry, but there are rules."

"Screw the rules, what's going on?"

"It's not that simple." Gabriel said, putting on his hat and coat. "I wish I could tell you more, really I do. But those are your choices."

X rolled his eyes and left the room angrily. Gabriel sighed, and leaned back. The sound of a strange chuckling filled the air, and Gabriel turned to see a man in an expensive black suit sit down next to him. Scars lined every inch of the man's face, and scarlet eyes stared at Gabriel. "He doesn't seem he wants to listen, now does he?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Simply enjoying a cup of coffee. I'm glad to see you're following the guidelines I've set down."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? I must say your faith in that one is truly staggering." The man lifted the cup of coffee and the liquid instantly started boiling out of control. He swallowed the liquid in one gulp, and grinned. "So he is how you intend to kill me, eh? You don't mind if I don't plan my funeral just yet."

"Your day will come." Gabriel replied, turning to leave.

The other man chuckled madly. "Maybe, but not today." He watched Gabriel leave, and grinned. "Time to watch the fun."

X walked calmly to the hotel, trying to forget what Gabriel told him. He opened the hotel room, and suddenly felt a slight pressure on the back of his neck. "There's an old saying." A voice whispered to him. "You can tell how good an assassin is by how close she can get before she kills you."

"So you're going to kill me now?"

"You catch on quick. Tell me, are you a religious man?"

"Not exactly, why?"

"Because I was going to give you the chance to pray."

"That's decent of you Rey." X said. The pressure relieved, and X turned suddenly, leveling his pistol at the voice behind him.

Rey stood, shocked, behind him, but quickly recovered. "How did you know who I was?"

"First rule of hunting, sweetheart, never get close enough for your prey to see you." X said, glaring at Rey. "You were watching me at the NSA headquarters, along with the café afterwards. You were sloppy, if you stayed further back Alia never would never have seen you, and I wouldn't have the slightest clue who you were."

"Sharp." Rey replied, slowly circling X. "So you're going to shoot me now?"

"The thought had occurred to me."

Rey laughed. "You'd be dead before the bullet left the gun."

"I highly doubt that."

"It's the truth 'sweetheart.' I'm the best at what I do."

"I'm sure you are, but so am I."

"Really? Sneaking into an enemies meeting, while she knows you're there, and letting her track you to where you hang your hat." Rey laughed sarcastically. "Rookie mistake."

"What can I say, I'm learning."

"Class is over; it's time for the big leagues now."

"So you're going to kill me now, I take it."

Rey laughed. "Don't worry, it'll be quick, you won't feel a thing." X chuckled himself, and she stared at him, confused. "You know, you're taking this a lot better then most of my contracts."

"That's because I know you won't kill me."

"Oh really? What on earth gave you that idea?"

"Her." X said, throwing Rey a small picture. A young, crimson haired woman smiled from the picture, with a younger girl nearby doing a handstand.

Rey scowled. "Who's this?"

"You need to work a bit more on your poker face. You'd recognize your sister anywhere."

"What about her?"

"I did my homework. I know what happened to her, and I know what the police did to her. I'm sorry."

"I take it back. I'm going to make sure your death takes hours."

"Right, after all you're just Noir's lapdog. Just another trusted dog begging at his table for scraps." X said, narrowing his eyes. "You're sister would be ashamed of you."

"You don't know anything about her."

"Wrong, I do. I've done my homework. Ophelia raised you as if you were her daughter instead of a sister. What happened?"

"None of your damn business."

"No really, I'm curious. What happened to a young, teenage girl that turned her from a smiling Olympic hopeful, to the world's foremost assassin? It can't be the money; your dad's trust fund would have given you more then enough of that."

Rey glared at X. "You know, going on like this won't make me hesitate to kill you."

"You've already hesitated. It's about her isn't it? I've read the reports; they locked your sister in the most heavily guarded installation known to man. So not only did they violate your sister in every way imaginable, they took her away from you. You can't see her, you can't talk to her, and she will never see the light of day again. If someone did that to me, I'd do anything to get her back. So in walks Noir, making a series of grand promises about how he's going to free your sister…"

"He said he'd cure Ophelia." Rey whispered.

"That's bull and you know it. I'll be the first one to admit that I've never met this maniac, but lunatics with an army and a god complex don't just cure people like your sister when they can use her. She literally tore three men apart with her bare hands. Do you think Noir would let power like that go to waste? He's going to do one of two things. He'll either never cure her and use her as leverage to keep you under his thumb, or he'll convert her, and take everything you loved about her and destroy it."

"I'll kill him if he tries." Rey snarled.

"So then you go from a trusted lieutenant to a fugitive, and Ophelia still remains in a psych ward that's more concerned about containing her then helping her. I can help you, Rey. I'll get her out of there, I promise."

"You?" Rey laughed. "You're trying to help me? Who are you kidding; I came here to kill you."

"We all make mistakes. It's not too late to come back from yours. If you help me and join the Hunters…"

"You'll what, use the promise you've made to control me? Please, I wasn't born yesterday."

"What possible reason would I have to lie to you?"

"Self preservation."

X sighed in annoyance and tossed his gun out the window. "There, if you want to kill me, then just kill me. If you honestly think that Noir will help you, then do it." X spread his arms wide. "Come on, do it. Kill me."

Rey stared at X questioningly for a few seconds, and then shrugged. "You have ten minutes. Talk."

X sighed, and turned towards Rey. "Alright, listen. I know about the Alighieri facility. I know how heavily they guard it. If you give me some time…"

"How much time?" Rey interrupted.

"I don't know. I really don't. But I can talk with the leader of the Hunters; see if I can't have her moved to The Island. From there we can bring in the personnel that she'd need to be treated. From there you'd be able to visit her whenever you wanted, and eventually we could move her to a lower security facility and release her."

"You would be willing to do all this?" Rey asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Why? I mean, not ten minutes ago I was tracking you down to kill you? You are either setting me up for the most transparent trap in history, or you are willing to go to some rather extreme ends to get into my pants."

X looked up in surprise. "Um…none of the above actually."

"Then why?"

"Because I want to help you. Look, the way I see it is that you've had one of the crappiest childhoods on god's green earth, and yet you're still doing all this just to help your sister. I understand that you have a cause, and I respect that, but you're going about it the wrong way. Just let me help you, and I promise you that your sister will get the help she needs."

"Fine, let's say I buy that. What happens to me then? Do you expect me to join the hunters?" Rey scoffed. "You're fighting to stop your kind from those who want to turn us into slaves."

"That's not what I'm fighting for."

"Isn't it? I watched my sister tortured half to death, just because she defended herself. I'm supposed to protect the system that caused it. I've travelled all around the world, and do you want to know what I've seen? I've seen Reploids dragged out into the streets and beaten, just for being different. I've seen lynch mobs, death camps; hell I once saw a group of people who hunted Reploids for sport! People like that deserve to die! Let the Mavericks kill them all, I promise you I won't shed a single tear."

"I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I promise you that I don't fight to defend any of the people you've mentioned. If I had actually seen any of that, I would have carted the bastards off to jail myself. You might not believe me, but the one thing I want most of all is peace. I want to help people like you and let them live a normal life. You might be right, and humans may be like that, but I'm willing to fight so that people like that are locked away in a small room with a bucket for toilet. I want to give reploids a choice, and to let them live in peace. That includes you. Once I help you, you're free to do whatever you want. You can become a Hunter, or not, it is all your choice."

"So if I choose to just disappear, you'd just let it happen."

"Exactly. I want you to live your own life without worrying about other people hurting you or anyone you care about."

"What about my crimes? You'd let me just walk away without any sort of trial, or going to prison?"

"No punishment I could inflict on you could ever be worse then the guilt you feel for taking the lives of countless innocent people. I can see it in your eyes; the haunted look of anguish. You must feel what you did to those people every day when you look in the mirror."

"Shut up." Rey said snarling.

"Let me help you. I know you can do well in the Hunters. I would be there, by your side, every step of the way. I can help you deal with it, make amends, and find redemption."

"Shut up!" Rey screamed, pointing a knife at X. "Do you honestly think you know me? You don't know anything about me! You're just like all the others, you just want to kill me, or use me."

"That's not what I want." X said softly, standing up. "Listen…"

"Pick up the gun." Rey commanded.

"No."

"I will kill you, now pick up the gun."

"I promised you that if you wanted to kill me, then you could. I'm not picking up the gun."

Rey moved with blinding speed, sending a knife streaking through the air. The knife embedded itself in the wall, impaling the center of X's hand. Blood flew freely from the wound, sending a crimson stain that began to pool underneath X. X winced in pain, but continued to look directly at Rey. "Don't do this." He whispered pleadingly at her.

"Pick up the gun."

"No."

"Kill me."

"I won't do that Rey."

"Do it!" She shrieked, half crazed. "If you want to help me then kill me!"

"No."

Rey fell to her knees, and placed the gun in X's only functioning hand. "It's my only way out. Please…" She said, nearly sobbing. "Do it."

"You have a choice, Rey. You've always had a choice."

Rey stood in frustration and hurled another knife. The weapon impaled X's other hand, pinning him completely. Blood pooled from each wound, serenely, both arms spread across the building's wall. "You can't help me." Rey said angrily. "You're too weak."

"Mercy is not weakness, Rey. I hope you learn that."

Rey snarled and pulled a short sword from her hip. She stood, the cold steel perfectly balanced at the tip of X's throat. The pair stood in silence, Rey's cold fury standing in direct conflict with X's cool acceptance. Finally she stood, weapon raised towards the heavens. "Any last words?" She snarled.

"Just two." X said, unmoving. "I'm sorry."

Rey hesitated, and sent the weapon crashing down, cutting through the flesh of X's neck like it was water. Blood flowed freely from the savage wound, coating X's still conscious form in a deep crimson hue. He continued to stare weakly into Rey's soft brown eyes, now filled with regret, as the room slowly began to blur and slide away. He finally closed his eyes and slumped, unmoving. Rey stared at his unconscious form, and watched as his breathing slowed, and finally stopped. "I'm sorry." Rey said, on the verge of tears. "Why did you have to try and save me?" She said, inching closer to the body. Her hand slid into the pool of viscous liquid, and she stared at her bloodstained hand in terror. Time slowed down, and she sobbed, watching her own reflection in X's blood. "You should have fought me. You should have killed me! Now, look at you." She said, staring at X's unmoving form. She reached over, and pulled the knives from X's hands. The limbs slumped downwards to X's sides like dead weight. Rey brushed X's hair away from his face, and slowly picked him up. A green liquid slowly covered the wound in X's hand, staunching the bleeding. She watched this in mild fascination, and an idea slowly began to form. She ran down the city streets, ignoring the strange and horrified looks of the people around her.

She bolted down the city streets, ignoring the fatigue building inside her, until she saw a massive building towering from the horizon. A crimson cross illuminated itself in the distance, and she smiled, racing for the front door. The doors flew open from the weight of her being thrown against it, and an entire hospital stopped as she raced inside, and unconscious X still in her arms. "I need some help." She panted. The staff continued to stare blankly at her, and panic suddenly began to brew inside Rey. "Somebody help me!" She screamed desperately. "Please!"

X stood, confused, in the middle of a black abyss. The crushing darkness seemed to gather all around him, nearly smothering him. He walked forward absently, and looked around for some nearby sight to show where he was. "Where am I?" X said, confused.

"Well isn't it obvious, my good man." A voice in the distance said. "You're dead."

X looked in the direction of the voice and saw Gabriel floating towards him clad in a black priest's uniform. "What do you mean, I'm dead."

"You're dead, gone. You're pushing up daisies. You bought the farm. You croaked. You're at the pearly gates. Your spirit is gone but your stench remains. Does this seem to ring a bell?"

"How can I be dead?"

"The young girl you tried to save." Gabriel replied. "You remember her? Tall, black hair, great set of…well, that's not important now. What is important is that she killed you. She very nearly slit your throat."

"So I guess I was wrong…wait, nearly?"

"Yes. She missed your jugular vein but a scant few millimeters."

"That doesn't make any sense, she's a professional. She wouldn't have missed the jugular vein, unless…"

"Unless she wasn't sure about killing you." Gabriel replied. "Yes, you were absolutely right about her." Gabriel stretched and a chair suddenly appeared behind the pair. "Sit down; these near death experiences are absolute murder on the back. Or, well, in your case the throat."

Gabriel visibly relaxed and pulled a pipe from a small pocket in his jacket. He offered the device to X, who shook his head. "No thanks, pipes are supposed to be terrible for you."

Gabriel chuckled. "Kind of a moot point now, but as you wish." He took a few puffs of the pipe and turned to X. "So. That was a hell of a gamble you took with that young girl."

"Yeah, it was. Hopefully it paid off."

"Oh it did, believe me it did. Forgive me for sounding overly dramatic, but she will go on to be a powerful force for good. Bravo, my dear boy, bravo."

"Thanks. Wait, how do you know what will happen?"

"I could tell you, but frankly you're not ready to understand what I have to say."

X laughed. "Not going to give me a last request?"

Gabriel chuckled jovially. "Good one, very good. It is unusual, however, to hear one make light of his own death."

"I don't think I'm really dead."

"Oh really? Then what, pray tell, is happening to you?" X was silent, and Gabriel sighed. "Well, the truth of the matter is you're half right. You aren't dead, but you are dying."

"What?"

"You see, we're in your mind, while your body is shutting down. Already the nurses have called the code and are desperately trying to revive you."

"I take it they won't succeed."

"No, unfortunately, they won't. But I can help you."

"Well then what the hell are you doing just sitting there, help me!"

"It's not that simple. Right now, you have a choice to make. You have to decide whether you want to live, or whether you believe it's your time."

"You want me to decide whether I want to live or die? What kind of decision is that, of course I want to live."

"Don't be too hasty. Rey was right about one thing. This is not a perfect world. There is constant turmoil, men rioting in the streets, people killing each other for no purpose, children afraid to go out at night because of the constant violence. If you live, then this is the world I will be sending you back to. But if you choose the other route, then you will have peace."

"Maybe, but everyone else will be suffering.

"This is true."

"Just answer one question. If I choose to live, can I make a difference? Can I help those people who are suffering?"

Gabriel paused for a moment, and finally nodded, sighing. "Yes, yes you can. It will be at great cost to yourself, and everyone around you, but I believe you can make the world a better place."

"Then bring me back."

"There is one condition, and this is absolutely nonnegotiable. You have great things in store for you, X. Greater then you could ever begin to imagine. You will, however, need a guide to accomplish these things. I will be more then happy to help you, but when I call, you must accept my help without question, and not question how I do the things I do, or why. You have my word, however, that when you are ready to learn these things then, and only then, will I tell you everything you wish to know. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"Well then, brace yourself, my lad, because this is really going to hurt."

Alia rushed down the halls of the hospital, plowing through rows of doctors, nurses, and other assorted staff as she reached the front desk. She panted, desperately trying to breathe as she gasped out her name. A small nurse stared at her confused as she rambled off her name. "I'm sorry?" She said, confused.

"My name's Alia. I was…called from…my cell." Alia panted.

"Oh yes. A Jane Doe came in with someone we assume had some kind of relationship with you. The only identification he had in his pockets was this picture." She slid a small photograph over to Alia. It showed X and her out on the sunlit hills behind X labs, both smiling and laughing together. "We did some research online, and managed to get your name and phone number from there."

Alia stared at that perfect moment captured in film, and horror slow started to dawn. "What happened to him?"

"He was brutally attacked in his hotel room. The attacker pierced both of his hands with an eight inch blade, and his throat was sliced open. It was only by the grace of god that his jugular vein remained intact. He just got out of surgery and he's unconscious."

"Is he going to be ok?"

The nurse sighed and led Alia to a small couch in the waiting room. She looked directly at Alia and gently squeezed her hand. "He lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry, I really am, but we don't know if he's going to wake up. I promise you we have the best doctors in the country working around the clock to make sure he's going to be alright."

"Thank you." Alia replied weakly. She sat numbly on the couch, staring at the couch tick off second after second. The dozens of staff rushing up and down the halls seemed to disappear as she stared into space for hours. Finally, a series of beepers going off simultaneously going off snapped her back to reality. She looked up and stared at the nurse helplessly. "What's happening?" She asked desperately.

"Your friend's crashing." She said, rushing down the hall. Alia followed close behind, and came to a small room where X stood, tubes covering his entire body. A heart rate monitor bleated in one high pitched, terrible tone. The nurse turned and saw Alia, and tried to move her from the room. "I'm sorry, but you can't go in there."

"Why can't I, he's dying!"

"I know, but you have to trust me and let the doctors do their job." Alia struggled to get past her, but the nurse continued to stand in her way. "Please. You can't help him if you get in the doctor's way."

Alia nodded numbly, and watched intently as doctors swarmed over X's unconscious form, desperately trying to revive him. Finally, one doctor shook his head, and sighed. "I'm calling it."

"No!" Alia screamed, half crazed, and pushed past him. "Please, you have to do something."

"We've done all we can. I'm sorry." Alia slumped to the ground, and the doctor wiped the sweat from his glasses. "Time of death… one fif…"

Suddenly, the heart rate monitor beeped, almost in defiance of what the doctor said. He turned, and looked at the instrument, confused. Finally content that it was nothing, he turned back towards his watch. The monitor beeped insistently again, getting everyone in the room's attention. "Nurse…" The doctor said, not bothering to look up. "Please get rid of the defective monitor."

The monitor continued beeping, and the heart rate and blood pressure on it continued to climb. Alia stared, breathless at the device, and a sharp rasping noise shocked everyone in the room. X's arm reached up, and slowly pulled the breathing tube from out of his throat. The doctor stared in absolute shock at the sight, and quickly took a step backwards. "This…this isn't possible."

"Hey." X rasped, barely conscious. "Someone get the catheter out of me. Right now."

Alia leapt forward and hugged X excitedly. "X, you're alive!'

"Yeah, hug me any harder and that'll change." X replied, trying to stand up. He kissed Alia, and the pair stood, locked in an embrace and drinking in each others scent. Someone cleared their throat behind them, and X turned to the nurse. "I'm kind of busy here."

"We know, but how did you…do what you just did."

"It's called kissing, I'd show you but I think Alia would hurt me."

The nurse laughed. "No, I mean…you were dead."

"Oh, that. I got better."

"Ok." The nurse said, confused. "Look, we're going to hold on to you for a while. Your wounds are still healing, and we still don't know how you did…that thing you did."

"That's fine, just one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Get the catheter out of me."

The nurse laughed. "Sure." She walked over and checked X's pulse, frowning. "You're still a little weak, let me just give you something to help you sleep and recover."

X instantly felt groggy and turned towards Alia. "Are you going to be here when I wake up?"

"Count on it."

X woke up the next day to find Rock, Roll and Alia all standing around him, smiling. "Hey, what are you guys doing down here." X said groggily.

"We wanted to make sure you were ok." Roll replied, squeezing X's hand.

"Please, it takes more then a few stab wounds to stop me." X replied, trying to sit up. Pain shot trough his arms, and he winced. "Although not much more."

Everyone laughed, and X sat up eagerly. "Seriously, you didn't have to come all this way."

"We were in the neighborhood." Rock replied, staring at X's IV. "Of course, we had to grab a transpacific flight to get to the neighborhood." He poked the IV bag absently, and pointed at it. "What is this, anyway?"

"Morphine." The nurse replied.

"Ah. The good stuff." Rock replied. "Seriously, though, how are you doing?"

"I feel like I just went three rounds with a blender."

Rock laughed. "Yeah, remind me to tell you about the time we had to go up against Zero."

"Really, how'd that turn out?"

"About the same, really. If they find out you're a hunter, though, they give you the good Jell-O."

X stared at the foul wiggling green concoction in front of him and frowned. "You mean there's bad Jell-O?"

"So who attacked you?" Roll said, cutting off Rock's retort.

"Rey." X replied simply.

"Wait," Alia said, turning towards X. "My sister attacked you?"

X sighed. "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just blurt it out. You're sister is the Black Crane."

"You're kidding." Alia said, casting a shock look at X. When X didn't respond, she desperately turned towards Rock. "He's kidding right."

"It really wouldn't surprise me." Rock said, sighing. "Look, Rey and I were dating for a while, and she was…It's hard to describe. She had a giant chip on her shoulder and was angry at everybody. She barely managed to control herself half the time and she was one of the most skilled warriors I've ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she was the Black Crane."

Alia sighed. "So what happened?"

"I tried to help her. I almost got through to her, but at the last second she turned away." X replied.

"So what's going to happen to her?"

"I have a suggestion." Rock said, raising his hand. "It involves a ten by ten concrete cell, who's with me?"

"No." X said simply.

"I'm sorry?"

"Look, I came so close to getting through to her that we've got to give her a second chance. When I get out of here, we're going to track her and the Order down. The Order is a serious problem, and we need to take care of it now, before anyone else dies. When we finally find Rey, I'm going to try and help her again."

"And if she turns you down?" Rock replied, annoyed.

"Then we'll go to your plan, but not before."

Rock sighed. "Look, I understand where you're coming from, but what makes you think she'll listen to you?"

"I almost reached her once; I know that I can do it again. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, she's thinking about what I said right now."

A single candle burned in the blackened apartment, casting its soft light around its surrounding. Rey stared at the candle, and sighed, allowing herself to be completely swallowed by the darkness. She stared at her laptop, desperately searching for something to say, and finally closed it in frustration. "Talking to someone?" A voice in the shadows said, catching her attention. A strange black liquid seemed to ooze from the ground. It crept slowly upwards, and finally congealed into the form of a man. The ooze finally swept backwards into a rapidly flowing pitch black cape. The man glared down at her and his midnight black eyes seared into hers. Metal shards jutted out crookedly from his face, ending in mountain like peaks inches from his skin. He ran his tongue over fang like teeth, and snarled angrily. He ran his claw-like hands over his bland head and breathed outwards slowly. "I hope you have not forgotten me, my servant." He said, extending his hand towards Rey.

Rey knelt immediately and kissed the ring on his finger. "No, Lord Noir. I haven't."

Noir laughed cruelly. "There was a time, my dear, when you would offer me a much…warmer greeting then that. I've missed you in my bed."

"I've been busy doing your work, Lord Noir."

"Yes, of course you have, and you've been very effective. You've managed to ruin the NSA's attempts to track me, and killed the Hunters' new pet. I am very impressed with your work."

"I live only to serve." Rey replied sarcastically.

Noir suddenly lashed out, smashing the back of his fist into Rey's jaw. "Not even you get to speak to me with that tone." He hissed. A small tendril seemed to form out of his cloak, and curled around her neck. It tightened and started choking her. Noir inched closer to Rey and snarled. "I am your god, and you are nothing more then another beast at my disposal. Do you understand?"

"Yes…my lord." Rey gasped. The tendril retracted and Rey fell to the ground, choking.

Noir sneered. "Never forget that." He knelt down besides Rey, and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You are the most beautiful of my servants. I've missed you, Rey."

"Thank you, my lord."

"When I ascend, you will be by my side, a queen to rule over the multitudes. Would you like that, my beloved?"

"Please." Rey said, standing up. She turned towards Noir, barely contained fury present in her eyes. "Spare me. I'm in this for one reason, and you know it."

Noir stood, incensed. "You dare insult me?"

"Yeah, I dare. I've put up with your crap for six years. I've done everything you've asked; now I want my reward. I want you to free and cure my sister."

"I give you everything, and now you make demands of me? I will free your sister when I ascend, not before!" Noir roared angrily.

"Fine, then get the hell out of here. I've had enough of you."

"How dare you! You will pay for your insolence!"

"How? Are you going to kill me? Fine, then just kill me. Anything's better then this bull you put me through. Kill me, or get the hell away from me."

Noir bristled angrily, and finally turned. "I have need for you at my palace. Finish your work here, and then report to me." He drew his claw along Rey's cheek and hungrily licked up the blood that flowed from the wound. "You will serve me again, but this time it will not be pleasant for you." Rey turned her head away from him, and Noir laughed derisively.

He melted into a pile of ooze and disappeared, leaving Rey in her shame. Rey crouched down and hit a button on the laptop, sighing. "X, this is Rey. God, please be alive. I'm sending this to the Citadel in the hopes that you get this message. You were right, you were right about everything. Please, I need to get out of here." Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and she wiped them away. "Please, come and get me, I need your help. If you were telling the truth, if you still believe I can be saved, then do it. Please come and save me."


End file.
